Tripped
by bluedolls
Summary: After everything that has happened, Jacob decides he and Bella need to get away from Forks and all of its memories for a day. He takes her on a spontaneous roadtrip in hopes of showing Bella what life could and should be like.
1. Chapter 1

*Setting- Mid New Moon. Edward has left, Bella has no hope that he will ever return. Jacob has already phased and Bella knows.  
*Summary- Between Bella's constant moping and all of the stress and changes Jacob has endured from his recent change, Jacob decides they both need to just get away for a day. The two set out on a journey that is every bit metaphorical as it is literal. WOP, I'm undecided as of yet whether or not the story will extend past the trip. This is a big first for me, so we'll just see where it goes.

_**Tripped**_

Main Entry: trip

Pronunciation: \ˈtrip\

Function: _verb_

1 a : to dance, skip, or caper with light quick steps b : to walk with light quick steps  
2 : to catch the foot against something so as to stumble  
3 : to make a mistake or false step (as in morality or accuracy)  
4 : to stumble in articulation when speaking  
5 : to make a journey  
6 a : to actuate a mechanism b : to become operative

**Chapter 1**

"Bella?"

She had the distinct feeling that someone had been talking to her, but couldn't quite drain the sleep from her head fast enough to understand the who or the what of the situation.

"Bella? Are you awake?" said a deep recognizable voice.

She was laying face down, hair spread wildly over the pillow, and her right arm and leg hung haphazardly from the edge of the bed. She looked asleep, but Jacob had learned that looks were often deceiving with Bella Swan.

"Bella, I know you're awake. I saw your toes twitch, now get up!"

"MMhmmg," she mumbled into her pillow.

"Now."

"Five more minutes."

"Or I'm coming over there to tickle those traitorous toes into action," Jacob threatened.

She rolled over and slammed a hand down onto the clock on her bedside stand to turn it for a better view. 6:13 AM.

"Give me one good reason I should listen to you? Why are you here so early anyway?"

"We've got to get moving. You've already wasted five minutes of our day of amazingness." He was grinning. She couldn't tell if he was actually as gleeful as he looked, or if it was just a ploy to get her out of bed.

"Day of amazingness? Have you forgotten this is Forks? And oh yeah, this is Forks?"

"That's what's going to be amazing. We're leaving Forks. Roadtrip! Top secret! Now get up and get dressed. You can ask questions on the way."

"Will you answer them?"

"You know me too well, Bells. Now, up and at 'em!" Jacob smiled at his accurate use of this phrase. Until very recently, he had mistaken the phrase for being "up and Adam."

Bella wondered how long it would take him to get the hint and leave so she could get dressed. Apparently too long.

"Um, Jake?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think you could leave for a minute? So I can get dressed?"

"Oh sure! Sorry. I'll just wait right outside."

He walked out and shut the door behind him, catching a brief glimpse of her in an oversized t-shirt and panties. It hurt how beautiful she was, and she didn't even know it. He could almost hear Quil teasing him about how hard he had worked to get her _out_ of bed rather than in it.

"Oh and Bells?"

"Yeah, Jake?"

"Wear a swimsuit." He smirked, thinking that would earn him a few points back with Quil.

"What?" She shouted back through the closed door.

"You know, one of those things people wear in the water. And bring a change of clothes just in case." No response. Outside the door, Jacob tried to imagine what type of swimsuit Bella would choose for herself. A bikini would look fabulous on her, but she didn't seem like the type of girl who wanted to show off her body. He also couldn't imagine her in one of those plain one pieces worn by professional swimmers. In the end he decided that she'd look wonderful in anything, and he waited eagerly to find out. When she opened the door moments later, he was very surprised indeed. She was wearing denim shorts, a t-shirt, and a rain jacket.

"Maybe I should have been a little more specific when I said 'those things people wear in the water'…"

She cut him off midsentence. "Sorry, I guess it never crossed my mind that I'd need a swimsuit in Forks. Besides, I needed the packing space for umbrellas and ponchos." She rolled her eyes. She was definitely taunting him, but then he knew that from the first word. Any time she began a sentence with the word "sorry," he instantly knew she was being sarcastic. She always gave heartfelt apologies when she really meant it, always worked up to the word "sorry," never hastily rushing it at the beginning.

Jacob laughed a little, "It's alright. We can stop and get one on the way. Might even be fun."

"Fun for _who_?", Bella responded, shooting a well-rehearsed glare at him. Anyone who knew her at all knew how much she hated shopping.

"Well, Mike Newton for one, since I assume his family's store is the only place around here that will carry swimwear." Jacob chuckled at the thought of walking up to Mike and demanding that he direct them to the swimsuits. He could picture Newton turning several shades of purple when he realized Jacob was swimsuit shopping with Bella. Then again, Mike would probably insist to help with the fitting.

"Yeah, right. He'd probably try to come in the dressing room with me."

"You're right. The only logical way to prevent that from happening is to have me stand guard inside the room with you," he said with a sinister smile.

"Nice try. You and Mike can go on this top-secret trip together if either one of you tries that."  
She punched him lightly on the arm as she walked past him out of her bedroom and noted that his flirty quips had gotten more forward after the whole wolf thing. Maybe the pack guys were getting to be a bad influence on him.

Once safely secure from the rain inside the Rabbit (and with a box of poptarts hastily grabbed from the kitchen), Bella began the questions Jacob had been anticipating.

"I know you're invincible and all, but in case you haven't noticed, it's raining and cold, not exactly swimsuit weather," she said defiantly.

"Have a little faith, Bells. Our top secret destination will not be rainy or cold. You can count on that."

"So why are we leaving town anyway?"

Jacob was hesitant to ruin the moment by raining on their parade, no pun intended. It had gotten off to a good start, and he didn't want to go screwing things up by saying the wrong thing like he always did.

"Jake?"

He sighed. "I just thought that it might be nice to go some place new for a change. Get a little perspective away from all of this, you know, in light of everything that's happened. It might do us both some good." Truthfully, he wanted to get away from the influence of the pack, and he wanted to get her away from any reminder of that bloodsucker. Just the two of them for a whole day sounded like paradise. Maybe, just maybe if he could get her away for a day and they could exist in their own little vacuum away from the rest of the world, Bella would have time to realize her feelings for him. They could have a day the way things _should_ have been in a world that was right, a world without vampires. He stole a glance to see her response. She was fidgeting with her hands in her lap, looking down at them as if they offered some relief.

She hesitated, exhaled. "Yeah, I guess you're right. It couldn't hurt, anyway."

"That's my girl! I hear kidnapping and crossing state lines is the best remedy for the blues."

"Crossing state-!"

He cut her off. "Oops! Well, yeah. You'll see when we get there."

She looked up at him; he grinned and winked sheepishly. It was hard to believe he was 16 anymore. He looked 23, 24 easily, with his newly developed muscles and height. Between the way he looked and the way he had taken care of her, it was hard for her to remember that she was the older of the two. Moments like these reminded her of just how young he was and made her regret all of the stress he had been placed under on her account. He deserved a day of fun.

When they pulled into the lot at Newton's, there was a marked absence of cars and people. Crap, Jacob thought. Of course they're not open at 6:30 AM.

"Looks like we'll just have to find one on the way."

"Aw, that's a shame. And I was so looking forward to modeling a bikini for Mike." Bella snickered.

"Poor jerk doesn't even know what he's missing." Jacob grinned. "I bet if you called him last night and said you needed him to open the store early so you could buy a bikini, he'd have been on your doorstep with six styles for you to try at six this morning."

He laughed it off, but he was secretly pleased that Bella was willing to laugh off his competition with him. Not that there was any real competition with Newton, but it was clear from that time at the movies that he was delusional enough to think he might have something with Bella. Plus the guy had the added appeal of being a regular old human, something that might start appealing to Bella. It was good to be reassured that Newton was just an idiot.

Back on the road, the questions started up again.  
"So I know you're not going to tell me where we're going, but is there any chance you'll tell me how far it is?"

"More than two hours, less than two days." He inwardly hoped that Bella would be okay with spending so much time in a car with him. He hadn't really thought it over, but he guessed it would be fine. Though he tended to get nervous around her sometimes, they never suffered from the kind of awkward silences that could kill a good roadtrip, or so he supposed. Up until this point in his life, his roadtrip experiences were limited to trips squished in the middle seat between his two sisters on the way to visit various family members. This trip with Bella would definitely top any of those; at the very least she wouldn't yell at him for looking out of the window on her side of the car.

"Just relax. You lay back, go to sleep. I guess I owe you a little sleep, huh? I'll wake you if anything good happens."

"You just got your license. Are you sure you don't need me to keep an eye on the road or something?" Bella yawned.

"Come on Bella, you and I both know I'm the better driver. Besides, the license just made it official. I've been driving just as long as you have."

He had her there, and they both knew it. She shot him a smile, reclined her seat, and felt the deep pull of unfinished sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

For the second time today, Bella woke feeling very disoriented. She sensed that she had just been in motion, but abruptly felt the movement come to a stop. When she opened her eyes, she remembered where she was.

"Hey, sleeping beauty! Have a good nap?"

She looked at the dashboard and saw that it was 10:07. "Where are we?" she croaked, eyes still squinted.

"Top secret, remember?"  
"Oh, right. Why are we stopped?"

"Gas/bathroom/food break. Are you hungry? There's a little restaurant attached to the gas station. Sign says they have the best pancakes in the county. You interested?" Jacob climbed out of the car and stretched his long limbs after hours of being cramped behind the wheel. Bella caught herself staring as he flexed his new muscles, then quickly looked away before she could put a label on the feeling.

"No, I'm still full from the poptarts." She felt a twinge of pain as she remembered how Edward had had to learn to suggest meals for her; he frequently forgot her human need to eat. Jacob never forgot food.

"I'm a growing boy," said Jacob, playfully flexing his biceps. "These guns need ammunition."

"You go ahead. I'll look around a bit, maybe find a bathroom." And some clues to tell me where I am, she thought to herself.

"Suit yourself! Don't go wandering too far, though. You're a magnet for danger, you know."

"I'll be fine."

"Back at the car in 15?" He called, already backing away towards the promise of pancakes.  
Bella nodded. She started to question if 15 minutes was enough time, but stopped herself. Knowing Jake, 15 minutes was more than enough time to scarf down some pancakes.

On her way out of the bathroom, Bella spotted a stack of maps on the counter next to the cash register. She flipped open the top map. Washington. Too bad maps didn't have little "You are here" stars like in malls. She looked to the cashier, a kind looking older lady with shoulder length gray hair held back with a hair pin on one side and a smile that reminded her a little of her Gran.

"Um, excuse me miss?" Bella asked shyly.

"Hello! What can I do for you, dearie?" said Rhoda, according to her nametag.

"This might sound kind of strange, but could you tell me where I am? What city?" Bella hoped she sounded like a lost tourist rather than someone who had been living under a rock.

"You're in Tacoma, about 20 miles outside of Seattle. Are you kids lost?" Rhoda smiled while looking a little worried, confirming Bella's assessment of her character. Just like Gran.

"Yes, I mean no. It's kind of a long story. My friend planned this roadtrip, but he won't tell me where we're headed."

Rhoda smiled and picked up the map Bella had just replaced and held it out. "Here, take this. When he doesn't want to stop and ask for directions later, maybe you can help him out."

"Thanks," Bella said with a smile she couldn't quite feel. Once again, she couldn't keep herself from thinking about how different a trip with Edward would have been. There would have been no maps, no worry of getting lost, running out of gas, or getting a speeding ticket. Quite possibly, there would have been no car, only Bella riding securely on Edward's back. But she had to stop thinking about Edward and the past. She would never cling to Edward's back again, never clench the handle of Edward's Volvo as he turned a hairpin curve at a speed that sent her heart racing as Edward chuckled lightly in the background. She had to face it, and she had to at least _try_ to make new memories rather than cling to the old. Jacob was giving her a gift, getting her away from Forks and away from memories of _him_. It was time to start enjoying it. She looked back at Rhoda and studied her face for a moment; the wrinkled skin creased the most around her cheeks and eyes. Rhoda looks like a woman who has done a lot of smiling in her lifetime. And for a moment, Bella 's cheek forms a wrinkle of its own as she realizes that after everything that's happened, this unwanted change means that she will get the chance to grow old like Rhoda after all.

"You sure you don't want anything to eat, Bells?" Jacob asked as they climbed back into the car.

"I'm fine for now, thanks. Not everyone has to eat six meals a day, Jake," she teased.

When she looked away, he got the feeling she was thinking of someone who never ate anything at all and decided it was time to change the subject. He had to act fast before she had time to mope.

"Hey, let's play 20 questions. I ask you ten, you ask me ten. You game?" Great, he thought to himself. Did he _really_ just suggest 20 questions? 1999 called, idiot. It wants its lame games back.

"Uh, ok I guess. You start." Bella wanted to gauge what kind of questions he would ask before forming her own.

What had he gotten himself into? "Um…" He just couldn't think of anything. "Uh…What's your favorite movie? Wait, no. What was your favorite movie when you were a kid?"

"Easy. It's Casper. I watched it every single day until it broke. Renee threatened not to buy me another copy if I didn't stop watching it every day. She caved and bought it, but I slowed down after that," Bella said with a nostalgic smile.

"Ghosts, of course. I guess you've always been drawn to supernatural stuff. Was your best friend a Zombie?" Oh shit. WHY did I just say that? "Sorry, that was a dumb thing to say. Forget I suggested the game."

Bella had watched as he started to giggle, then promptly looked mortified a split-second later. She knew he didn't intentionally steer the conversation here, but here they were. She had to lighten the mood somehow to show him that she wasn't upset. Or maybe she had to lighten the mood to keep herself from getting upset.

"You're right, I'm older now. Maybe it's time I kick this werewolf habit, hmm?"

They both visibly relaxed. Crisis averted, for now. It was simply impossible to remain lighthearted when everything made Bella think of _him_.

Jacob laughed, "Now what would you do without me?"

"I don't know, probably be safe at home not worrying Charlie to death. And that was question two, by the way." Dying, Jake. I'd be dying without you, because that hole in my chest would have torn me to pieces by now.

"Charlie loves me, and you know it. He's probably been hoping I'd kidnap you."

"Seriously, though, Jake. I don't know what I'd do without you. You've been…great the last few months. I know I'm not very fun to be around anymore, but you stick by me anyway. You must like being bored."

"You're anything but boring, Bella, and I could never leave you." Not like _he_ could. "So let's face it, you're stuck with me. Better me than Mike Newton, huh?"

"Definitely," she said with a smile. No witty banter, she just left it honest. They were both silent for a while after that, both watching the mountains and the empty road stretched out for miles ahead of them. Both thought of the infinite possibilities that lay ahead and welcomed them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Around noon they stopped for lunch at a little hole-in-the-wall diner where Jacob raised only a few eyebrows for the amount of food he devoured (two cheeseburger combos and half of Bella's chicken sandwich). Back on the road, Bella stopped eyeing road signs every few miles in an attempt to figure out where they were going and laughed to herself every time Jacob hovered secretively over what appeared to be mapquest directions. After every exit or turn, he would routinely fish the crumpled paper out of a pocket in his jeans (always holding it at an angle so that Bella couldn't see), give a furtive glance in Bella's direction before looking down at the paper, then quickly stuff it haphazardly back in his pocket.

After one of these episodes, Bella decided on an approach that was one part curiosity, one part genuine concern. "Hey Jake, you've been driving for a long time. You want me to take over for a little while?"

"Nice try, Bells, but I'm not handing over the directions and ruining the surprise. We've only got another hour or so, so I think I can manage," Jacob revealed. "Tell you what, you keep me entertained, and I'll be fine."

"You sure? I mean, I've never gotten the chance to drive on a roadtrip before. It seems like it should be part of the whole experience, you know?" Bella tried again.

"Sure, sure. I'll even let you drive the whole way back if you want, though it might take an extra day if you do. Maybe we should add another ten years to your age for driving like a grandma. You think?" Bella punched him playfully on the shoulder, causing him to swerve a little.

"If you cause us to wreck now, you'll never get to drive OR find out where I'm taking us."

A thought came to Bella. "Hey, speaking of things I've never done, have you ever played 'Never have I ever?'" The game was a little silly; she and her friends had played it at a handful of sleepovers in middle school. It always involved top secret confessions about crushes they had and movies they watched without permission.

"No, how does it work?"

"Well, you take turns naming things you've never done before. Each time you start out saying 'Never have I ever…' then you fill in the blank with something you've never done. When I was 12, we would put up five fingers. If someone names something you HAVE done, you have to put down one finger. So if someone were to say 'Never have I ever ridden a motorcycle,' we'd both be left with four fingers raised. Of course that's the 12 year old version. I hear it's used as a drinking game sometimes, too."

"Sounds like something my sisters would have played, but I'm game. I'll start. Never have I ever played never have I ever. You can put your finger down now, right?" He grinned.

"That one doesn't count. No direct hits like that. Try again."

"Okay, let's see…never have I ever eaten sushi." Jacob looked somewhat pleased with his sudden creativity.

"Me neither. Never have I ever worn a bikini," she countered.

"Really? Like, never?" He looked surprised.

"Nope. Never. All the extra straps look annoying. Plus I always burn, so it just made more sense to cover more up. I guess that was a stupid one, though. I'm too used to playing this game with girls; it's not like you would have put down a finger for that one! Not unless you've got something to tell me…"

"Well my sisters used to force me to play dress up with them when I was little, but I don't think there was ever a bikini involved."

"Got any pictures to prove it?" Bella asked with a smile.

"No. They suffered a tragic accident and were never seen again," Jacob said proudly. "Every once in a while, when my sisters are home visiting, they'll dig around in old photo albums trying to find them, but they've never been successful."

"You know, just because there are no surviving pictures doesn't mean it never happened. The mental image of you in heels and a tiara is enough for me," Bella laughed a genuine laugh at the thought of a tiny Jacob in drag.

"Change of subject, please. Never have I ever been rollerskating."

"Really? I thought everyone had tried it. I've only been once, but, well, you've seen my balance. It wasn't pretty. You're not missing much." Bella said. "Never have I ever ridden a roller coaster."

Jacob was suspiciously silent for a moment. "Yeah, me neither. Would you, though? After the motorcycles and your desire to go cliff diving, it sounds right up your alley."

"I wouldn't have a year ago, but now? Definitely," Bella said truthfully. She was becoming addicted to reckless behavior and decided a roller coaster might bring Edward back for a few painful seconds. She welcomed it, then decided that she should really stop this nonsense. The Edward she saw in her crazed hallucinations was not Edward at all, and the real Edward would never love her again. But she would still love danger, she decided. Simply because she could. Because even if Edward wasn't there to warn her, that was still something. She had lost everything she thought she wanted, but in it, she had won a few freedoms she never realized she had given up, like being able to ride motorcycles and rollercoasters without a lecture on safety hazards and her fragility. She would revel in the few positive things that Edward's absence had brought, including recklessness, and, come to think of it, Jacob. In that moment, her reckless actions ceased to be a desperate attempt to reach Edward and became something else: a tool for revenge.

Jacob broke the silence. "Well then, maybe you'll enjoy today after all," he said with a grin.

"Is that our top secret destination, then? An amusement park?" Bella asked. Jacob couldn't read her response, so he resigned himself to simply asking how she felt.

"Yeah. Is that okay with you?" He looked guarded. Bella could tell he really wanted her to say yes. And she could, because it was the truth.

"Yes! Thank you for doing this for me, really." She added with a grin, "Never have I ever had a best friend as awesome as you."

He took the compliment as a double-edged sword. Half knighted him, and half pierced his heart. "Yeah, me neither, Bells. I'm glad you're happy; you deserve a day of happy."

"I think we _both_ do," she amended.

Ahead, a building with a tacky hot-pink awning came into view. Its fluorescent sign boasted 'Xtreme Xotic Xcellence.'

"Hey, Bells. Never have I ever been into a shop like THAT!"

"Let's add that to my list of 'Never will I ever,' okay?" Bella chided.

"Point taken. I was just joking, anyway. I mean, not joking about never going to one of those places, but joking about wanting to go there. Not that I'm afraid to go in there or wouldn't go in there, I mean….ah heck. I wasn't trying to say we should go, that's all." He turned a little red and regretted ever bringing it up. What, had he expected Bella to say 'Hey, let's check it out?' And even if she had, would he have had the guts to go inside? Probably not.

"You know, I think we're losing. All of those questions, and only one of us has put down one finger. I think we need to get out more," observed Bella.

"That's what today is for. Getting out, doing new things. We can check roadtrip off the list, and soon we can check off rollercoasters, too."

"I've also never been kidnapped until today. There's another," Bella joked, then realized just how much she had been laughing in the last few hours. She had laughed more today than she could remember laughing since, well, ever. Even Edward didn't make her laugh this much; he was always more serious, stoic even. It was nice to let loose and laugh.

Jacob had realized how much Bella was laughing and smiling, too. Just seeing her so happy made him feel ecstatic. Bella was actually having fun, and he was the reason. Maybe she could start to let go of that bloodsucker after all. He knew it would take time, but he hoped he could speed up the process, hoped she might fall for him somewhere along the way. He knew _that_ journey would take longer, though, if he were lucky enough at all. The way she occasionally stared off with that distant look, or the way she still couldn't mention any of the Cullen's by name told him she was still grieving. Still, he hadn't seen her fold her arms across her stomach, and that was a small victory. She was loosening up, slowly letting go whether she knew it or not.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Hey Jake, there's a K-Mart up there on the left. We can stop there for the swimsuit." Bella decided K-Mart would be quicker and less painful than a mall or department store. You can only spend so much time and/or money on K-Mart swimsuits. Alice would have never approved this.

"Suit yourself, Bells," Jacob said. He turned with a smirk and added, "No pun intended." He chuckled at his own joke, and Bella couldn't help but join in.

They walked in past a gaudy 4th of July display made up of so many red, white, and blue items that it was almost impossible to discriminate one item from the next. Bella hoped Jacob didn't notice the hideous American flag bikini hiding somewhere in the mix, but he was too busy thinking about how hard it would be to find Waldo in such a place to notice.

"Oh my God, do people actually wear these things?" Bella asked as she picked up a pair of star-shaped sunglasses with glittery blue rims.

Jacob took them from her grasp and placed them on his own face. "What, you don't like them?"

"I like them so much I'm wishing I had a camera to remember them by."

"You know, we really should document some of today's awesomeness. You go ahead and find the swimsuit section, and I'll go find us a disposable camera."

The two headed off to their respective destinations, and Bella cringed when she reached the swimsuit department. She was by no means a fashion expert, but even she could tell that there was little hope here. Her options seemed to be limited to either tiny triangles or large flowery masses with ruffled skirts, neither of which appealed to Bella in the least. She picked up the only harmless looking swimsuit in sight; it was a simple navy blue tankini without any glitter or flowers the size of a soccer ball. Her luck ran out when she saw that it was easily six sizes too large. She moved on and fingered the silver sequins that completely covered one of the tiny tops and couldn't imagine who would actually be caught wearing something like that. Probably the same hopeless person who would wear the star-shaped sunglasses, she thought. She held it up to her body to get an idea of how much one of the triangle contraptions would cover if she had to resort to one, but her thoughts were interrupted by the flash of a camera.

"That's the spirit, Bells! You can save it for the 4th and match all of the sparklers." Jacob beamed.

She all but threw the top back on the rack and felt like she had been caught red-handed doing something filthy. "Don't get your hopes up. I was just seeing how big it was since all of the reasonable ones are too big."

"Hey, what about this one?" Jacob reached over and pulled out a simple black one-piece she hadn't noticed. It looked plain enough, and a glance at the tag proved that it _was_ her size.

"Who knew you'd be better at this than me? I guess it will do. Thanks." She started walking towards the front of the store.

"You sure you don't want to try it on? I'm flattered that you trust my judgment and all, but maybe you should try a few."

"It's fine. We should get back on the road so we won't be so late getting back…" she stopped to calculate the time in her head. "Jake, we've been on the road for eight hours! HOW are we going to get back home tonight? Even if we turn around and go back now, we'd be pushing it."

The conversation was briefly interrupted as they reached the checkout and bought their necessities. The cashier was a girl who must have been in her mid to late twenties. She was eying Jacob as if she would bag him up and take him home if Bella weren't around. Neither one spoke again until they were outside, out of earshot.

"She was definitely checking you out in more ways than one back there," Bella teased. "Maybe you should just stay in the house until you turn 18, kiddo. Your new, ah, attributes are attracting an older, more illegal crowd."

"Just one's enough for me," Jacob alluded. They both knew he wasn't talking about the cashier.

Bella dodged the comment and reminded him of their predicament as they got back onto the road. "So, about getting back home…"

"Well, we should be there really soon, and it closes at 8, so if we leave right away, we could be back by..." he stopped to visibly count on his fingers, and Bella couldn't be quite so mad. "…by 4 tomorrow morning. Ah crap, I guess I got so excited I didn't really even think about the time. I mean, I can handle the driving, and the company," he smiled, "but I guess our dads might start to worry if we don't show up tonight." HOW could he have overlooked such an important detail? He wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. He had wanted to give Bella a perfect day, and he was probably going to get both of them grounded for a very long time instead.

"It's…okay. I should have asked before now. I can't believe I didn't think about how long it would take us to get back before now. Not to be cliché, but I guess time flies when you're having fun."

"So since we're already as good as dead, we might as well make the best of it, right?" Jacob was determined not to have the trip ruined. It could still be a "day of amazingness," but tomorrow might not be so pretty. He pictured pulling up to his house at 4 AM to find Charlie asleep in a rocking chair, cradling a shotgun. He knew Charlie secretly wanted Jacob and Bella to be together almost as much as Jacob wanted it himself, but overnight kidnapping probably crossed the boundary of acceptable behavior.

"Right. I'm not mad; really, I'm not. We were just talking about how there's so much we haven't done, and I guess now's as good a time as any to break a few rules. If we're going to be locked in our rooms for the next year, we should probably do something worth being locked up for." Bella reasoned. She couldn't quite understand why she was being so calm about the whole thing, but maybe it fell under the category of embracing danger.

"Right, then. To making it count. Cheers!" Jacob said, lifting his grape soda.

"Cheers!" Bella added, and she couldn't resist snapping a photo as the grape and orange sodas bumped together in conspiracy.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

At 3:19 PM, a huge sign advertising "Silverwood" came into focus, the destination finally reached.

Jacob simply couldn't contain himself. "We're here!" he shouted.

"Finally! I can't wait to get out and ride some rides. The faster, the better." Bella added with a stretch and a yawn.

"And it's hot enough that I wouldn't mind starting with the waterpark."

"Aw, Jake! I should have put on my swimsuit before we left the store. Now I'll have to find a place to change."

"Don't worry, Bells. I think waterparks always have little shower stalls in the bathrooms, kind of like a locker room. You should be able to change in there."

"Right. That's our first stop, then."

They bought their tickets, then maneuvered through the crowd in search of the water park. Once Bella was changing in the restroom, Jacob couldn't keep himself from making a detour to a nearby kiosk offering every fried food imaginable, and several that were simply unimaginable but were all the better for it. He compromised by only buying a funnel cake and a corn dog. He finished off the corndog in two easy bites, silently vowing to find out who invented corndogs so he could write them an angry letter about the insufficient size.

He was halfway through with the funnel cake when Bella finally emerged from the restroom. He promptly dropped the funnel cake and openly gaped at her. She was shyly attempting to cover her body with her arms, but to no avail. What had looked like a very plain swimsuit looked _amazing_ on her. It accentuated everything that was already perfect about her body, hugging her in all the right places. It nipped in at her tiny waist and swelled softly around her chest. As he was mentally appraising his choice in swimwear, he realized it wasn't the swimsuit that he was admiring at all.

"Geez, Jake, do you mind? I know it looks ridiculous, you don't have to make fun by staring." Her cheeks burned red. The swimsuit had looked plain enough when she bought it, but it was more revealing than she had realized at the store. The top scooped down to expose about two inches of bare skin of her breasts, and the back was nonexistent. It tied around her neck and plunged all the way down to the small of her back. She felt naked and worried that anyone walking behind her would think she was topless. This had to be the most absurd thing she had ever put on; she might as well be wearing clown shoes and a squeaky red nose.

"Um, Bella…a lot of descriptions come to mind, but 'ridiculous' isn't one of them. You look…" he paused to search for the right word. He used the only one that seemed right. "Perfect." It was funny and sad how warped her view of herself was. An old country song with the lyrics "she don't know she's beautiful" involuntarily took up residence in his mind, and Jacob wished he had snapped a picture the moment she walked out with the insecurities plastered on her face, and perfection plastered everywhere else. It was part of what he loved about her.

"I look _silly_, but thanks anyway."

"Bells, if I had cue cards, I'd hold up a ten. I mean it. Every guy here is going to be insanely jealous." Too bad there's no reason for them to worry, he thought.

"Whatever," she said with a light punch to his shoulder.

As he slipped off his shirt and they stashed their clothes in a locker, Bella quickly realized that people would be staring, but not at her. Sixteen, she chanted mentally. Sixteen.

"What?" Jacob looked perplexed by Bella's vacant stare.

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking that it would prevent a lot of awkward situations if you'd just tattoo your birth date on your back. You know, to keep the cougars away."

"What if I want to catch one?" he pressed as they walked towards the wave pool.

"First, you'd better know how to swim." With a wicked grin, Bella shoved him into the pool.

If Bella was afraid of anything, it didn't show. She took Jacob up on all of the huge rides he suggested and pointed out even more herself. They hit every waterslide, every rollercoaster, and everything exciting in between. The long lines didn't seem to matter as they chattered excitedly about what had happened and what was to come. Both dubbed the Aftershock (an appropriately named steel coaster) as their favorite ride, so they rode it three times in a row before security politely but firmly suggested that they find another ride. Four rollercoasters, three monster waterslides, countless miscellaneous thrill rides, and a shared cotton candy later, and it was time to go.

"Hey, Jake! There's a photo booth over there by the gate. We should do it."

Jacob agreed, and with a lot of willpower and internal turmoil, forced himself not to add "that's what she said" to Bella's suggestion.

Inside the photo booth was cramped, and Bella had to awkwardly sit on Jacob's thigh to fit in the picture. Jacob's heart pounded and he hoped he could control himself long enough to get through the pictures. He could handle hiding the evidence after the pictures, but there was no way to hide anything with Bella in his lap.

"Okay, we get four shots. Ready?" Bella asked. "Go!"

There was a lot of movement and grinning and nothing really posed. The first shot showed the two simply smiling at the camera. Next was a silly obligatory tongue shot. The third, a perfect follow-up of the previous shot, showed the two looking at each other and smiling. The final photo would have shown the perfect happy couple to the untrained eye, but to Jacob, it showed the truth of their relationship. Bella had turned to hug Jacob, and in response, he leaned down to kiss her cheek. It took her by surprise, so she leaned back a little involuntarily. They both looked happy, but Jacob felt that Bella would always be just out of his reach.

"What now?" Bella asked as they climbed out of the cramped booth.

"Before we do anything, I think we should call our dads. I just don't know what we're going to tell them."

"I guess I'll try to tell Charlie that I made plans to see a movie with Angela and spend the night with her. Either he'll fall for it and I won't get in trouble, or he'll find out the truth, and I'll be in just as much trouble as I would have been if I had told the truth in the first place."

"Sounds like you've done this before." Jacob winked.

"Well, not _this_ exactly. It's just that less is always better with Charlie. What will you tell your dad?"

"I guess I'll tell him the truth and hope for the best. I can't lie about being with the pack; he's on the council. He would know. I'm also a horrible liar." He knew his dad was pretty understanding and trusting most of the time, but he wondered how he would react to something as big as this.

"What if he tells Charlie?" Bella said looking doubtful.

"I'll ask him not to, and we'll hope for the best, I guess."

They took turns using Bella's cell phone. Charlie seemed happy enough that Bella was spending time with her old friends, but Billy was a little less understanding.

"He didn't seem mad exactly, just disappointed that I didn't tell him before we left. He also, ah…suggested that we get a hotel room for the night. He said he didn't want us driving back in the middle of the night without getting any sleep." There, he said it. Then he warily eyed Bella to gauge her response.

"As much as I hate to say it, I think he's right. I really don't feel like I could stay awake for another nine hours at this point. Definitely not awake enough to drive, at least." Bella thought it might be awkward, but agreed that it was safer than driving home.

"Alright, I guess we should start looking for a hotel, then. Is there anything else you want to add to our day of awesomeness?" Jacob questioned.

"Well, I guess it's only right that we have a last supper. We could order a pizza from the room?" Bella suggested.

"Sounds good to me."

They left Silverwood and started looking for a cheap hotel. What they found was a Motel 6 next to an ABC package store with its tell-tale red dots adorning the worn-down brick. There were thick black bars covering the windows and doors.

"It's not the best location, and I probably wouldn't stay here if we had a better option, but on the bright side, you've got a werewolf as a body guard." Jacob reasoned. The bright side was an important place after looking at their home for the next few hours.

"I guess it will have to do," agreed Bella.

They got out and entered the lobby (if you could call it that) where a single clerk sat behind the counter. She had purplish red hair and must have been in her forties. Her feet were propped up on the counter, and she was lost in a paperback romance novel. She casually resumed a seated position when she spotted her customers.

"And what can I do for you lovebirds this fine evening?" She asked mockingly.

Ignoring the false assumption, Bella took control of the situation. After all, she was technically the only one old enough to legally rent a room, even if she did look younger than Jacob. "We'd like a room for tonight, please."

"Well, well. Here you are then, room 114. You kids stay safe." She smirked. Jacob couldn't tell if she meant the neighborhood or not.

They paid and hesitantly headed down the dingy, dimly lit hall. When they opened the door of room 114, the single king-sized bed stuck out like a giant sore thumb. Yep, tonight was going to be interesting, they both thought in unison.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Oh God, thought Jacob. I didn't even think to ask for two beds. That woman just assumed…Surely Bella doesn't want to share? But that was what the old Jacob would have thought. The newer, darker Jacob saw other opportunities ahead. He would do the polite thing and ask for another room, _after_ exhausting the other possibilities. He had done the chivalrous thing nine times out of ten. What was one selfish little act? It wasn't like he was going to force her to share.

"After you," gestured Jacob as he ushered Bella through the door.

Well this is…awkward, thought Bella. Sharing a bed with Jacob would be a new experience for sure. She had a fleeting urge to go request another room, but she really didn't want to deal with that clerk again, and if she was being honest with herself, it might be nice to have her own personal sun there next to her as she slept to keep the nightmares at bay.

"I guess we should order the pizza now," Bella said, just to break the silence; she wasn't even that hungry. She walked over to the bedside table and switched on a lamp, then sat on the edge of the bed and began rummaging through the phone book just to have something to do.

"Um, Bells, is this okay? I could go ask about another room if you want…" He could never really follow through with anything devious when Bella was involved. She always seemed too vulnerable and trusting. Manipulating her was somehow more wrong than manipulating other people, not that it was something he made a habit of doing to anyone.

"No, it's fine. I mean, if it's okay with you." As much as she tried to dodge his suggestive comments and hints, she knew she didn't really need to ask if he was up for sharing a bed with her.

The reality and tangibility of the situation left him without any witty comments for once. Besides, it probably wasn't in his best interest to blur the lines of their friendship as they debated whether or not it was acceptable to share a bed. "Yeah, it's fine," he conceded.

"What kind?" Bella asked.

"What?" Jacob had no idea what she was talking about. What kind of bed would they share?

"Pizza. What kind of pizza do you want?" Bella reminded him.

"Oh, right. You know me, I'll eat anything you put in front of me, Bells. Just order whatever you want."

She called in an order for a large pepperoni and a two liter coke, making a mental bet with herself that she would eat one slice and Jacob would eat the rest.

"They said it should be here in the next 30 minutes."

"Sounds good." Jacob flopped back on the bed and turned on the TV, mindlessly flipping the channels without really looking at what was on. "What now?"

"I don't know. What's left to do that we can check off of our 'Never have I ever…' list?" Bella asked innocently with no thought of the Pandora's Box she was opening.

Jacob rolled over and propped himself up with his elbow on a pillow, giving the best mock-seductive look he could muster at the moment. "I can think of a few things." He said with a wink.

She threw a pillow into his stomach. "Be serious," she demanded. She said it with so much authority that Jacob pictured a whip cracking against his backside and suppressed a giggle.

"Alright, alright." He tried to think about what they could do in a hotel room that they had never done before, but the answer was so painfully obvious that it wouldn't go away. He had to think outside of the room, but all that was out there were some rundown houses, a gas station, and the ABC store.

"Uh, never have I ever been drunk?" He knew the odds of that happening tonight were on par with the odds of his first suggestion, but he was seriously out of ideas. Maybe if he threw out enough ludicrous ones, Bella would be forced to come up with something they could actually do.

Bella furrowed her brows at first, but then a sinister smile Jacob had never seen before crept up her face. "Alright, Mr. Black, and just how do you plan to accomplish that one tonight? Unless you've forgotten, neither one of us is 21."

Wow, definitely NOT the reaction he was expecting. "Well if you're serious, look at me. I may not _be_ 21, but I doubt the guy behind the counter cares enough to make sure. I look old enough."

"Do you want to…? I mean, I can't even believe I'm considering this, but I just don't care anymore. Look what being careful my whole life has gotten me. Nothing." She got up from the bed and began pacing. "It hasn't stopped two vampires from trying to kill me, and it hasn't kept me from the worst pain I've ever felt in my life." Her words were riling her up even more as they came out of her mouth. "Besides, think about it. Most people our age go to keg parties and get so drunk that they make fools out of themselves in front of everyone. It's all over youtube and the cafeteria the next day. I don't want that. But tonight? It's just you and me having fun, right? Why not?"

Jacob had to take a moment to wrap his head around all of this. He knew she was being irrational, but he also knew she was right. They were already in trouble, and they were already safe in a motel room where no one could bust them. Neither one of them would have to drive immediately afterwards or report back home to their parents. When would a chance like this ever come up again? "Are you sure, Bells? Are you really sure you want to do this?" he asked.

"I am. It will be fun! I used to love fun, remember? Of course you don't. I've been busy being _careful_ and reaping the rewards of all my careful actions the whole time I've been here. You're about to meet _fun_ Bella," she said wildly.

He wasn't quite convinced. It sounded more like he had just met crazy Bella and was about to meet crazy Bella under the influence. Still, maybe a drink would loosen her up, help her to let go of everything she had been holding inside. He decided to go for it. "Alright, I'm in. But I'm going to the store alone; the minute they see you they'll know you're too young and they'll be suspicious."

"Are _you_ sure you want to do this, Jake? I don't want to be that person laying on the peer pressure. God, I'm trying to get a sixteen year old drunk! What's wrong with me?"

"Relax, Bella. It's not like I'm going to become an alcoholic. Plus I've heard Paul complain about having to down twice as much alcohol for it to have any effect on him after the change. I think it has something to do with the size and the body temperature, but it won't affect me as strongly. No worries, you're not corrupting anyone," he comforted her with a smile. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to go through with it. Mentioning Paul reminded him of all of his responsibilities as a pack member and all of the patrols he had to run. No way was Sam going to accept any drinking any time soon, not with the possibility of vampires still hanging around. He had no idea when or if the excitement would die down, but this was pretty much his only chance to do something stupid until that time came, if it ever did. As Bella kept reminding him, he _was_ only 16. By definition, he was supposed to be out doing stupid things and taking unnecessary risks, not hunting down leeches that shouldn't even exist as a full time (and unpaid) job.

"Listen, you lock the door and don't open it for anyone. Make sure you latch the chain after I'm gone. I'll be back in just a minute." He kissed her forehead before heading out the door.

Alone in the room, Bella was left to think about everything she had just said. She wasn't sure where the anger came from, but as soon as the words had come out of her mouth, she had grown angry at their truth. She loved Edward more than she could ever imagine loving anyone in the world, so much that it hurt almost as much today as it had that day when Sam Uley found her in the woods. She loved him, but she hated the way he treated her like a fragile doll incapable of making any sudden movements. True, she was human, and by default, more vulnerable than he was. But part of being human was making mistakes and getting hurt. That was life. She flinched at the word. Technically, Edward didn't have a "life," so in some twisted way, it made sense that he acted the way he did. But he had hurt her more than anything else ever could, the hypocrite. She reasoned that nothing she could do to herself would ever be as painful or horrible as what Edward had done to her, and therefore, she could do whatever she wanted.

Her train of thought was interrupted by a knock on the door. Jacob had told her not to open the door for anyone, but he had probably forgotten about the pizza. She looked through the peep hole and saw the tell-tale red hat with the pizza logo on it. Still in the mood for danger, she opened the door without any further investigation. Danger presented itself in the form of a gangly teenage boy not much larger than Bella, complete with glasses and acne. She handed him the money as he handed over the pizza, and he drove away with a smile. Bella decided that maybe her danger magnet only worked in Forks.

Jacob returned moments later with a large bottle of Captain Morgan's rum. "Piece of cake," he boasted.

They sat the pizza box in the middle of the bed and sat across from each other, sharing the box as a plate. As Bella picked up her slice, melted cheese began to slide off the end before she could make it to her mouth. She quickly held the pizza higher and let the cheese drop in first. Then there was a flash.

"Jake, you did NOT just do that."

"Oh, I think I did."

"Fine, a shot for a shot. Drink up, buddy."

"Bring it on," he said with a grin.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Jacob drained his plastic cup (provided courtesy of the broken coffee machine in their hotel room), then poured a small amount of rum into it.

"I think we should take our first shots together, at the same time," he suggested.

"Alright." Bella didn't have to drain her cup first; knowing her own clumsiness, she had only poured herself a very small amount of coke in the first place. She held her cup out and allowed Jacob to pour an equal shot into her cup.

"You ready?" He asked, raising his cup. Bella raised hers in response. "To making it count," he said.

"To random road trips."

"To stinky hotel rooms."

"To us."

"To us," Jacob agreed. They quickly tapped their cups together, then downed the rum in two simultaneous gulps. Bella made a face that looked like she had just mistakenly swallowed a whole lemon, and Jacob let out a growl that was somewhere in between human and wolf in nature.

"Oh my god, that was disgusting!" Bella shouted.

"Maybe we should mix it with some coke," Jacob suggested, and began pouring coke into their cups without waiting for Bella to agree. He knew she would. As an afterthought, he wished he had let her take one more straight shot so he could capture that face on film. He'd have to keep an eye out just in case it popped up again.

"Good idea. You know, I don't know any drinking games, do you?"

"No. I mean, I've heard about beer pong and flip cup and things like that, but we don't have the supplies, and I don't really know any of the rules anyway."

"Me either. And we're both too lame to properly play 'Never have I ever…' We'd sit here all night with a full bottle." She laughed.

"Why don't we play 'Never have I ever,' but backwards? Like instead of naming things we haven't done, we fess up to things we _have_ done. It will at least make me feel like I've had some kind of a life. And then if I name something I have done that you haven't, you take a sip."

"So really, the goal is to think of crazy things I have done that you haven't done?" Bella asked to clarify.

"Yeah, I guess that's about right."

"Okay, I'll start. I've crashed a motorcycle." Bella began.

"Nice try. I might look like a pro now, but nobody starts out like that. I've had my share of crashes. Let's see…" He shoveled half a slice of pizza into his mouth as he pondered over what to confess. "I broke my nose." He shoved the other half of the slice into his mouth as he waited for Bella's response.

"Alright, hit me, bartender." Jacob poured about a third of a cup of rum into Bella's coke and poured the same ratio into his own cup, then watched as Bella took a big sip.

"Much better! How did you break your nose?" She asked, reaching for the remainder of her first slice of pizza. Jacob reached for his fourth.

"When I was seven, Rebecca got a pogo stick for her birthday. I begged her to let me try it out, but she wouldn't. She kept telling me I was too little and that I would mess it up because I didn't know what I was doing. She wasn't worried about me, just her precious pogo stick. I bugged her so much that she finally told me that if I could jump up the porch steps with it, then she would share it with me. Turns out I couldn't."

"Seriously, Jake? A pogo stick accident? There's one thing that's never injured me before. But my nose is just about the only thing I haven't broken. I've broken each leg, an arm, and a few ribs, and let's not even get into how many stitches I've had."

"Geez, how many drinks does that earn me, Bells?"

"I'll settle for two," she said smugly. He chugged about half of the cup.

Jacob's face lit up with a devious smile. "I've been naked in front of half a dozen guys."

"Well that's not fair," said Bella, realizing that he was talking about the pack.

"What, you're jealous? If you want, I can ask how they feel about you joining us some time…" Bella punched him a little harder than usual. Apparently that one didn't even warrant a verbal response. Still, she lifted the cup and took a gulp.

Bella was very close to pulling the whole kissing a vampire card out, but that would be like smashing their fun with a giant sledgehammer. She took another gulp, hoping to drown out the thought. "I've kissed a guy."

"Eh, ish cond of lem, but all take et," Jacob mumbled through a mouth full of slice number 6.

"In English please, Jake?"

"Sorry, I said it's kind of lame, but I'll take it." He chugged the rest of his cup, washing down the remains of his pizza. "Refill time?" She handed him her cup and he refilled them both.

Bella noticed him eyeing the last slice of pizza but not reaching for it. "Jake, that piece is all yours. I'm really not hungry."

"What? No, you eat it. You only ate one piece."

"And you only ate six. Really, I don't want it," she said, taking another sip of her own free will; it was much stronger than the last.

"Well, all right, if you're sure…" he reached for it, but just held it, waiting to make sure she wouldn't change her mind.

Bella realized she was starting to feel lighter, somehow, and kind of warm. She liked warm. "I think this is what happy feels like, Jake."

"I'm happy too, Bella. I'm really glad you decided to come," he said seriously.

"No, silly, I was talking about that warm, fuzzy kind of feeling." Bella giggled.

"Trust me. Warm and fuzzy does _not_ equal happy," Jacob countered with a sad smile. He realized Bella was on her way to being drunk, and he almost felt normal. He picked up the Captain Morgan's bottle and drank directly from it.

"I cheated on a test once." Jacob admitted.

"Yeah, me too." She drank some anyway. "I stole something once."

"Really? That doesn't sound like you. What was it? Why did you do it?" He took another sip.

"When I started the 9th grade, it was this big thing at school to steal dishes from the cafeteria. Everybody starting doing it. It got so bad that they started serving us with Styrofoam plates and flastic porks." Bella paused to giggle for a moment. "I mean plastic forks. Anyway, I didn't want to look like a chicken, so I stole a glass. I took it home and hid it in my closet. I couldn't stand to look at it."

Jacob shoved the last piece of pizza gracefully into his mouth.

"Eww, Jake. I can't believe you just fit that whole thing into your mouth."

"That's what she said," he laughed.

"Who?" Bella asked. She must have missed something.

"What do you mean, 'who'?" he asked.

"Who was it that said something?"

"Oh, you've never heard someone say 'that's what she said?' before?" How could she have missed out on the genius of your basic 'that's what she said' joke? She looked at him like he was crazy. How was he going to explain it to her?

"It's a joke. Any time someone says something that could be taken in a sexual way, you say 'that's what she said.'" He was met with a blank stare. "Okay, let's pretend you said something like, 'Wow! That looks really hard!'—"

Bella interrupted, "_What's_ really hard? And I still don't get who she is?" Jacob must be really drunk, she thought. He's rambling about some random woman having trouble with something.

"Nevermind, I'll just have to tell another one if something comes up. It can't be forced. That's what she said! Oh, wow, maybe I am getting drunk. That was a bit of a stretch. That's what she said!" He shut up before he found himself in an endless circle of 'that's what she said' jokes. Too bad Quil wasn't here to appreciate the moment; he would have been in stitches on the floor. As it was, Bella was still looking at him like he was a moron.

"Jake, are you sure you're okay? Maybe you've had enough to drink." Jacob wanted to laugh at the situation. Bella thought _he_ was the drunk one because she didn't understand his jokes, and she had just said 'flastic porks.'

"I'm fine, I promise. It's getting kind of late, do you want to go ahead and take a shower? You've been in that wet swimsuit for hours." If she was in the shower, she couldn't drink any more, he thought. He could tell that rather than wearing off with time, the alcohol was soaking into her system and she was getting worse.

She stood up and backed towards the bathroom. "Is that an invitation?" Bella asked with a slow, deliberate wink and an open mouth.

"I, uh…Yeah?" No way was she going to agree, Jacob thought. No way. He wouldn't really take advantage of her like that, but he wanted to see what she would say.

"Declined!" She shouted, then giggled furiously, stumbling over her feet. Yep, she definitely needed to lay off of the rum for a while.

Jacob jumped up and caught her elbow, steering her back towards the bed. "Here, Bella, why don't we just sit down for a while. You'll feel better." He helped her lean back against the pillows and pull her feet up onto the bed, then sat next to her and put an arm around her shoulders.

Jacob sighed. "Well, Bells, it's been one heck of a day today." He turned to look at her and smiled.

"Thank you, Jacob Black. I really needed this. Thank you for showing me how to be fun again." She smiled up at him.

Then he felt something touch the top of his thigh. Yes, there was definitely a hand on his thigh. Oh no, he thought. Oh no, and oh yes. But mostly oh no. She absentmindedly stroked his thigh. Or was it intentional?

In a panic, he did the only thing he could think of. He put on his best Australian accent and said in a hushed voice, "Look! There, on the plain. A cougar hunts her young wolf prey. She has him trapped…"

She laughed. "My Jacob, always ready with a joke." She leaned her head on his shoulder and looked up at him. Leaning closer, she said, "Never have I ever kissed a werewolf."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Jacob had no idea what to do. He wanted this; oh boy, did he want this. But not like this. He wanted all of Bella, not just the drunken version. He leaned back just a little, trying to stall.

"Wrong game," he said with a nervous laugh. She put her hands on his shoulders.

"I'm not playing," she said, attempting a lusty look with her eyes.

Great, he thought. Crazy Bella has officially turned into drunk, horny Bella.

Before he could move (at least, that's what he told himself later), she leaned in and kissed him on the mouth. He had every intention of being chivalrous and backing out, but as soon as her lips were on his, his mind was momentarily paralyzed. His body reacted instinctively, and before he knew it, he was opening his mouth and pulling her body closer to his own. Their eyes shut, and their tongues mingled. Bella broke the kiss momentarily, then maneuvered her body so that she was crouching over his lap, straddling his thighs. Even with the extra leverage, she was barely equal to Jacob's height. Bella cupped his face in her hands and hungrily kissed him again as his arms wrapped around her back. Then, whether it was due to the alcohol or Bella's natural clumsiness, she slipped and ended up sloppily licking a trail down Jacob's chin. The action both aroused and woke Jacob. He hesitantly broke the kiss.

"Uh, Bella?" He asked, already fearing what he had to say. She responded by kissing up his neck towards his ear.

"Bella? I, uh…" she wasn't responding. Well, verbally, at least. He gently grabbed her waist and lifted her, setting her down again beside him. He could think more rationally when she wasn't on top of him.

"What? What is it?" Bella asked, completely bewildered. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"It's just…I don't think we should do this now," he forced the words out.

"But…I thought…" She stood up from the bed and turned to face the wall. Her head bent in shame, and she covered her face with her hands. Her body began to shake silently, and Jacob knew she was crying. He walked around the bed and put a hand carefully on her shoulder.

"What is it, Bells? Why are you crying?" he asked.

"_Nobody_ wants me." She slipped from his touch and sat on the floor. She pulled her knees into her chest, wrapped her arms around them, and sobbed.

"Bella, you know that's not true."

But it was, and she knew it. Charlie hadn't wanted her enough to stick around, and then Renee had cared about her new boy toy more than she had cared about taking care of her own daughter. Then _he_ left her completely broken. Jacob had been the only one who hadn't let her down in some way, and now he was rejecting her, too. What was it about her that made everybody leave?

When she looked up at him, her face was red and puffy, and her nose was running. He had only seen that look from the inside of Sam's mind, the day he found her…the day Cullen left her.

"First Charlie, then Renee, then E-E-Edward," she held up a finger for each name, then stopped and sobbed loudly. The way she said "Edward" sounded like a violent sneeze, with each "E" building up to the fierce climax. "Now YOU don't want me either." She punctuated the 'YOU' with the furious thrust of a fourth finger. "Why does everyone always leave?"

Jacob slowly sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her. "Bella, your parents love you. _I_ love you. I always have, and I always will. I'm not going anywhere." He stroked her back with his hand.

"You love me so much you have to get away from me," she said bitterly.

"No, that's not it at all. I want you more than anything, and I think deep down you know that. I'm just not so sure you want me; I'm not so sure you even know what you want. It wouldn't be right of me to take advantage of you like this."

Bella said nothing, just cried and let him hold her. Jacob hated that she felt this way, hated that he could do nothing to show her just how much he loved her.

"I could kill him for doing this to you," he muttered, stroking Bella's hair. It scared him to think how much pleasure it would bring him to rip Edward's limbs off, one by one. He didn't want to just kill him; he wanted to make him suffer for what he had done.

"I hate him too," she whispered. Her sobs were dying down, but tears were still freely flowing down her cheeks.

"You do?" Jacob looked shocked.

She looked up. "I didn't know it until today, but I do. I hate him as much as I love him."

"Bella, what are you saying?" Did he dare to hope?

"I'm saying that I don't _want_ to love him. I know how irrational I'm being, and how crazy I was to believe that we could have been together. But it's going to take time."

"Take as long as you need, Bells. I'll always be here for you," he said with a sad smile. She looked up and clumsily wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thanks, Jake, for being a good friend," she said.

"I love you, Bells. I just want you to be happy again." He hugged her back. "Why don't we go to bed and get some rest. I think you'll feel better in the morning."

They both stood up, then realized they were still wearing swimsuits.

"I guess I'll go change into my spare clothes." Bella grabbed her bag and went into the bathroom.

Jacob decided to go ahead and change with Bella out of the room. He pulled off his t-shirt without replacing it. Bella had seen him shirtless plenty of times. He located his spare shorts and quickly dropped his swim trunks, then stretched before pulling on the clean shorts. They were athletic shorts, the same ones he often kept tied around his ankle when he had to phase; they would be comfortable enough to sleep in.

As Bella exited the bathroom, she froze. She hadn't realized that Jacob was changing too, but there he was, completely naked. He was turned away from her, oblivious to his audience. His body was breathtakingly perfect. She had seen him shirtless plenty of times, but the rest of him was just as toned and beautiful. He had faint tan lines from wearing shorts, but the color suggested that all of him had seen sunlight on some occasions. She should have turned around to give him some privacy, but she couldn't look away. She was almost disappointed when he was clothed again. She quickly rattled the door to make it sound as though she had just come out.

Jacob turned around. She was only wearing a t-shirt and panties since her spare clothes were jeans. "Bella, you can sleep in the bed. I'll take the floor."

"Don't be silly, Jake. We can share the bed. I think I've calmed down enough to keep my hands to myself now," she said, more than a little embarrassed after what had happened. "About that...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…"

"It's okay, Bella. Really. You don't have to apologize."

"I do. Tonight has been crazy; I feel like I've lost my mind. Thanks for putting up with me."

"Always," he said.

They climbed into bed, each careful to keep to their own side. Jacob reached over and turned off the lamp.

"Goodnight, Bella."

"Good night, Jacob."

Five minutes later, Bella felt Jacob move closer and drape an arm lightly over her waist; she fell asleep smiling for the first time since Edward left.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

She had no idea how she got there, but suddenly, Bella was standing in the middle of a forest. She looked around and realized she was surrounded by tall trees, but the area in which she stood was surprisingly empty. She knew this place; it was the meadow that Edward had taken her to in what felt like a lifetime ago. The feeling of panic silently built up inside her chest. Why was she here?

"Bella."

She whipped her head around at the sound of her own name, but she didn't really have to look to identify that voice, _his_ voice. Edward was standing beneath the shade of the trees just a few yards away. Why would he come here? He had already left once; what was the point in coming back and ripping open the wound all over again? Bella was shocked to realize that the feelings she was having were not love and desire, but anger and resentment.

"Bella, I've missed you," said the melodic voice. "I tried to stay away, but I can no longer hold myself to that promise. I have loved you more with every day that we have been apart. I can't bear it any longer."

Edward strode forward and opened his arms to her, and she hesitantly stepped in. Was this really happening? His solid arms enveloped her in the way that she had dreamt of for months as she let his words soak in. She closed her eyes in contentment, just breathing in the comfort of his scent. This is what she wanted. Right? But then why didn't she feel…she couldn't label the feeling exactly, but something was off. Those words had not healed the wound the lie had caused. It was as though Edward had pressed some magical "undo" button, but nothing had happened as a result.

Bella took a deep breath. "Edward, I've missed you too, more than I can explain. But I think I've changed since you've been gone. I'm different now." Broken, she thought. Broken so completely that she was even incapable of loving Edward. That's what felt wrong when he hugged her. She physically felt his arms around her body, and she heard the words she had longed to hear, but that was all. Inside, she still felt broken and empty.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a low growl.

"Get away from her, bloodsucker," the wolf spoke in Jacob's voice. Bella stepped away from Edward, and the giant russet wolf lunged for an attack, his large body forming a strangely beautiful arc in the air above them.

Bella gasped and felt her eyes flutter open. She was sitting up in a bed in a dark hotel room with Jacob snoring at her side. It had all been a dream. She turned to check the time and saw that it was only 3 AM, but somehow she didn't feel like sleeping anymore. There was a dull ache in her head, and she remembered (vaguely) what had happened just hours before. She had way too much to think about between the strange dream and the equally strange events the night before. A bath might be a good place to start, she decided. After a full day in a car and a theme park, she could use a good bath.

As quietly and smoothly as possible, she inched her way to the edge of the bed in the dark, praying that she wouldn't wake Jacob. She smiled in triumph, backing away slowly, then promptly tripped over a stray something (it was too dark to tell) and fell onto her backside with a yelp. Jacob moaned softly and draped his arm over the empty space where her body had been, but his eyes remained shut.

The warm bath felt amazing to her tired body. She had some reservations about taking a bath in a hotel bathtub, but in the end she decided that she was too tired and dirty to really care. She filed it under "dangerous activities" and didn't think of it again. In the safety of the bathroom, she revisited her dream, unsure of how to interpret it. Was it what she wanted to happen? Was it just a mix of the alcohol and her prior outburst mingling in her sleep? And most importantly, if by some miracle Edward _did _come back and profess his love for her, would she really feel as empty as she had in the dream? There was no way to know. What she did know was that the words her dream self had spoken were true. She had changed since he left; she wasn't the same lighthearted, passionate person she had been with Edward. The thought that she was incapable of loving anyone seemed a little too dramatic for reality, but it scared her. Subconsciously, she had already resigned herself to a life without love months ago. Edward was the love of her life; Edward was gone forever. Therefore, love was gone from her life forever. It was simple math, really, but hearing the words out loud scared her. She had fallen, and she had fallen hard. But she was starting to feel like she didn't want to just lay there in agony anymore. She didn't know _how_ to get up exactly, but she knew she wanted to.

At least if she was incapable of loving anyone, then she didn't have to live with the burden of loving Edward anymore. "I don't love Edward," she quietly tested the words on her tongue. They felt foreign, but liberating. "I don't love Edward," she whispered to herself again. She wanted them to be true; but were they? She remembered the strange embrace they had shared in the dream and the feeling of emptiness it had left her with. It felt true enough that even if he came back, things couldn't be the same as before. The image of a reddish wolf arcing over her head came to mind as she recalled the last part of the dream. "Get away from her," he had growled protectively. She thought of the real Jacob holding her as she cried on the floor of the hotel room and gently pulling her against him in the bed, even after she had practically molested him in a crazy fit. She stepped outside of herself for a moment and saw a loyal boy trying to pick up the broken pieces of his best friend. For some crazy reason, he thought she was worth saving. Edward hadn't bothered.

As she stepped out of the tub, she smiled at the thought of returning to bed with her protector, her sun. She pulled on her t-shirt and panties, carefully watching the slick floor, and silently slipped back into bed.

She lay there, looking up at the ceiling and listening to Jacob's light snores. The snoring was an unexpectedly pleasant sound, one that was oddly comforting. On a whim, Bella turned on her side and kissed Jacob lightly on the forehead.

"Bella," he sighed with a smile, lazily opening his eyes and focusing them on her.

"Shhh. Go back to sleep, I didn't mean to wake you," she whispered.

" 's okay," he whispered back. He reached out and brushed his hand gently against her cheek, and Bella reached up and covered it with her own.

"Thanks, Jake. For everything," she said.

"Anything for you, Isabella Swan," he smiled. He didn't know why she was suddenly being so calm and sentimental, but a part of his dying hope flared. Their hands dropped from her face, but they remained clasped on the bed.

"Bella?" Jacob asked hesitantly. He was probably about to do something stupid, but it felt right. He was suddenly wide awake and felt compelled to do this.

"Mhmm?"

"Can I kiss you?" He sucked in his breath and hoped.

Bella didn't know what to say. She thought that if she had any love left to give anyone, it would be Jacob Black. Jacob was perfect. The problem was, she wasn't. She didn't have enough left to give him what he deserved. How would things have been different if she had met him first?

"Jacob, I…I think I _want_ to. But you deserve someone better, someone whole. I can't be that person."

"There's no one better than you, Bells. We fit. It's just right, I can feel it," he meant every word fiercely. He was afraid to use the words "soul mate" and scare her, but he felt them in his heart.

"You're perfect Jake. You're caring, and loyal, and beautiful. And you deserve someone who can love you as much as you can love them. I can't. I…don't know if I can ever love anybody. Not even _him_." It was painful, but he deserved the one thing she _could_ give him: the truth.

"Bella, I know it feels that way, but it won't forever. I can see you healing. _I can see it_," he needed her to see the truth. She was able to admit her anger towards Edward. Heck, she was even able to use the bloodsucker's name! She was letting go, piece by piece. He was no therapist, but those seemed like the right first steps to recovery.

"I want it to be true, Jake. I'm afraid of living the rest of my life this way," there was a raw vulnerability in her voice that had never been there before.

"You won't, _I swear it_. You and me, Bells. You and me. That's how things are supposed to be. That's how things will be, if you'll have me," he said hopefully. "Let me show you," he asked.

Bella crossed the great divide between them and slowly brought her lips to his in response. The kiss was gentle and sweet and polite. Jacob pulled back and made eye contact with Bella, then smiled. He went in again. This time, the kiss was more than friendly. Jacob sighed as he felt Bella's tongue skim the edge of his own. Oh God, he thought. He couldn't believe it was finally happening.

Bella was surprised to feel more than friendship when their lips met. Earlier when she had kissed him, it had been out of pain and need, not out of desire. She strongly suspected she would have kissed even Mike if he had been there instead of Jacob, not that she would ever admit it. It could have been anyone. This time, it was different. This time, it was Jacob. She wasn't ready to label the feeling she felt as 'love,' but it was something. It was a start.

Jacob opened his mouth and slid his tongue alongside Bella's. He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth and let it go again and felt euphoric when she did the same.

"Bella, you're amazing," he panted between kisses. She used the opportunity to kiss his neck. The feeling of her breath against his skin brought him instant pleasure, and he felt his arousal spread to other places. His body ached with desire. He gently maneuvered over Bella, pressing her onto her back and holding himself above her, careful not to touch her hips with his own. He didn't want to push her too far or frighten her, and he might get too carried away.

Bella looked up at Jacob, who was looking adoringly down at her. He was beautiful, absolutely beautiful. Maybe she could love him with time. "I guess this makes me a cougar, huh?" she teased.

"No wolf has ever been so happy to be caught," he grinned.

Bella placed her hand behind his neck and gently pulled him closer, forcing him to kiss her again. He instinctively brought the rest of his body lower, and she gasped as the obvious bulge grazed the top of her thigh. Her experience was zero, but as far as she could tell, he was…proportionate. She failed to suppress a giggle.

"Bells, what could you possibly be laughing about?" he chuckled with her.

She blushed, but answered. "I was just thinking you're the full package, pardon the pun. You're amazingly sweet, you're gorgeous, and, well…you've got THAT on your side too," she said, awkwardly pointing down. How was this kid sixteen? "You've got it all."

"Funny, I could say the same about you," he countered, sliding his hand from her waist to her hips and back again.

Jacob silenced the beginning of her protest by covering her mouth with his own again. Bella surprised him by putting her legs around his, inviting him closer to the area he so badly wanted to be. He was slowly rubbing against her thigh, and just knowing how close he was, how little there was between their parts, was driving him crazy. He wasn't going to last very long at this rate. Bella shifted her body beneath him, and it was no longer her thigh that he was rubbing against; all that was keeping him from being inside of her was a few thin layers of cloth. The thought was exciting and terrifying. It was pleasure and torture that he was so close, but he knew he couldn't go any further. Besides, even if she would let him, it's not like he had come prepared for this situation at all. "Never have I ever" indeed, he thought.

Bella was starting to lose herself in him, unsure of what had come over her, but reveling in it anyway. How could she have ever looked at Edward the way she was looking at Jacob? Edward was cold and distant. Jacob was hot, blazing hot, and always intimately in tune with what she was thinking. She wanted this. She wanted this, and she knew it. She was sure.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Bella, I love you," he whispered, and a single tear streaked down his face uninvited as he continued to thrust against her.

"Jake, I…You know I love you, but I don't know if I'm ready to say it the same way you say it," she admitted, though it hardly seemed the time to say so. She was panting in anticipation as her arousal built up towards a release. Jacob had found just the right rhythm.

"You are," he reassured her.

"But how can you know?" she breathed.

"Because I just imprinted on you," he said, staring directly into her brown eyes. And with that, he came.

His body shuddered, his weight almost too much to bear as he held himself above her. Still, he didn't dare break eye contact.

Bella was on the brink of joining him, but his words brought a conflict between her body and her brain. Her body wanted more, but it was like her brain threw up a big, red stop sign to let something more important cross.

"You….. How?" Bella looked incredulous. She knew that according to the legends, a wolf imprinted the moment he saw his soul mate for the first time after he phased. Jacob had seen Bella on so many occasions, and it hadn't happened. Why now?

Jacob found her hands and took hold of them both as he maneuvered himself onto his side. They were both lying on the bed looking at each other.

"Bella, I've had a sort of theory for a while now, but I didn't think you were ready for it."

"Go ahead, I'm listening," she whispered. "I need to know."

"Well, all we really know comes from what has happened in the past. The legends say an imprint occurs the first time a wolf lays eyes on his soul mate after the transformation. That seems to be true, at least, that's the way it has always happened. But what if there has just never been a situation like ours before? You never hear about a wolf imprinting on a married woman, right? Imagine how much chaos it would cause if the imprintee were already taken. Claire is obviously happily single, and Kim had never even had a boyfriend before Jared found her."

"But what about Sam and Emily?" Bella interrupted.

"It makes my theory seem a little bit more complicated, but it's not the same. Are you following me, Bells? Sam and Leah were happy together, but plenty of couples are happy before they discover that they aren't right for each other. Think if you had been dating Mike before Edward. You and Mike would have been happy, but as soon as you met Edward, none of that would have mattered anymore, right?" he asked.

Bella couldn't see where he was going with this, but she nodded in agreement, for once completely unshaken by the reference to her ex.

"The pattern is this," he explained. "Every imprintee in known history has been single, ready for the imprint. But what if it doesn't always work that way? It's like the opposite of Sam and Leah. Instead of the wolf being in the wrong relationship, what if the imprintee is in the wrong relationship?" he questioned.

"The wolf gene can make us see what we never saw before, opening our eyes to see 'the one,' so to speak. But my genes can't affect what YOU see."

It was starting to come together for Bella, but she couldn't quite see the bottom line. "What are you saying, Jake?"

"I'm saying that normally, the imprint is so powerful that it, I dunno Bells, it sort of nudges the imprintee in the right direction too, even before it happens. Like how Emily always secretly had a crush on Sam, and Kim had notebooks full of Jared's name before he ever phased. It's like nature taking its course, preparing us for what's next. But the Cullen's, they're unnatural, an abomination of nature. Nature couldn't run its course with Edward blocking the way."

It made sense in a twisted sort of way. "So you're saying that the only reason you didn't imprint on me sooner was because _I_ wasn't ready?"

Jacob nodded. "Take a moment to think, Bells. What do you feel?" _Who do you love?_ He asked without words.

Bella thought for a moment. She thought of Edward, but the pain she expected didn't come. She felt a vague nostalgia, but there was no more longing; the wound that had formed was healed, and the hole had been filled with Jacob. She felt…more than whole. It was as though Edward had carved a hole in her chest, and Jacob had filled that hole as well as another hole she didn't even know she had. It was hard to explain, but she knew for sure that Jacob was telling her the truth. He had finally imprinted on her, and she was finally ready.

"I feel _love_, Jake. I _love_ you," she sounded surprised. "I love you," she said with more confidence.

"I love you too, Bella."

"How do you feel, Jacob? What changed?" She was very curious how the whole thing worked.

"It's weird, because in some ways I feel exactly the same. You were already my whole world, Bella. Or maybe a better analogy would be my sun; I already revolved around you. It sounds corny, but the legends describe it as a shift in your center of focus, like all of a sudden gravity isn't what's holding you to the earth anymore, it's her. It's _you_. But it feels bigger than that; it's more than earth, it's like I'm earth and you're the sun keeping me in orbit." It all sounded so cheesy like he was trying to be Shakespeare, but there was no other way to describe it.

She thought of the irony in the fact that she had always thought of him as her personal sun. Maybe it was more than a coincidence. Maybe nature WAS trying to work on her this whole time, but like Jake said, Edward was in the way, like an Eclipse blocking her from seeing the truth.

He continued, "But now, everything feels right. Perfect. All of that frustration and longing is gone. It's this overwhelming sense of everything finally being right with the world. I can't imagine ever being happier than this moment."

"This whole time, this whole time you've been saying we belong together, you meant it. I mean, you meant it more than when the average guy says it. You meant it literally. You always knew," she said with a sudden realization.

"I always suspected. I hoped," he admitted.

She thought about all of the pained expressions she had seen on his face over the past few months. It was all because of her. She had definitely noticed a change in Jacob after his transformation. He was darker, less naïve. He felt more pain. With a stab of guilt, she realized why.

"Oh god, Jacob. All of those times you looked so tortured, all of that was because deep down you knew. The full force of the imprint was inside you, dying to get out and complete the process. You've been in agony," she felt horrible.

"I have, Bella, but it doesn't matter now. God, it's never felt so good to be right," he smirked.

"Well, I'm glad to see your cocky charm is intact," she teased.

"Speaking of cocky…Um, Bells, how do you feel about me losing the shorts?" he asked hesitantly.

"Jacob Black! Just what kind of woman do you think I am?" she feigned a mask of shock.

"Relax, Bella. I wasn't talking about, you know, though now that you mention it…" he let the sentence trail off with a grin. "I meant that these shorts are kind of, ah, wet."

"Oh." She had forgotten. Now that she thought about it, she was a little sticky in places too, courtesy of Jacob. "Right, yeah. Well, if you'll stay covered, I'm okay with it."

"Besides, since we're soul mates and all, I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to see all of Jacob Black in his glory," she said, half joking, half hoping.

"Mmm, you called me your soul mate and referenced seeing me naked in the same sentence; I think I'll die happy now."

"Me too."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

When Jacob woke, it was 10 AM. He found Bella snuggled against him and remembered the drastic turn his life had taken the night before. He was grinning like an idiot, but he didn't care. He wore the grin as he kissed a sleeping Bella lightly on the cheek before quietly sneaking out of bed. He wore the grin as he assessed his clothing options and realized that the dirty swim trunks were his best bet. The grin followed him into the shower and refused to give him any privacy. He was still grinning when he stepped out of the shower and back into the room, and by the time he saw Bella sitting up in bed sporting the same grin, his cheeks were sore.

He leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips, ruffling her bed head. "Good morning," he said. She looked so gorgeous with her hair pointing in different directions and that goofy grin to match his own. God, he loved her. _My_ bed head, he thought, and grinned some more.

"Good morning," Bella grinned back. "I hate to go back to the real world, but I think we need to get back on the road."

"Wait, don't move." Jacob reached over to the bedside stand and grabbed the camera, then sat next to Bella and put his free arm around her. They both smiled as he snapped the picture. Realizing he should capitalize on the opportunity, he gave her waist a squeeze with the hand that was around her and quickly snapped another picture as she giggled and squirmed.

"Jake, please!" He had abandoned the camera and was now holding her down on the bed and tickling her with both hands.

"I surrender!" she squealed. "Let me go!"

"Alright, I'll accept a negotiation. I will let you go for no less than a kiss."

"I agree to the terms of the compromise, captain."

"Well then, I will claim what is mine. I've come to retrieve the booty as promised." Still holding her by the waist, he leaned down to collect his payment. As she kissed him, he tickled her again and he felt her laugh into his mouth. This was heaven.

"Hey, no fair!" Bella giggled, finally free.

"Never trust a pirate," he advised.

Back on the road, Jacob steered with his left hand and held Bella's with his right. He just couldn't get enough of her.

"So Jake, what are we going to tell Charlie?"

"You mean before or after he shoots me?"

"Before, considering the fact that he'd have to go through me to get to you, and I doubt he would shoot his own daughter. Seriously though, what do we tell him about the imprint?"

"Nothing, Bella. We'll have to pretend it's just a normal relationship. I'm sure he'll be thrilled; your dad loves me. You know last time I was over at your house and you hugged me goodbye at the door? Your dad totally winked at me."

"Did not."

"He did! I'm telling you Bells, he's going to be thrilled and probably say 'I told you so' a few times."

"You're right, I think he'll be happy. It's just going to be hard to pretend you're just a crush or something. With the way I feel, Charlie's going to have to get used to having you around a lot." She stroked his thigh. "And I'll probably have to learn to control this physical attraction thing around him."

"You think I'm hot." The grin was back.

"Literally speaking, you ARE hot," Bella teased. "Yes, Jacob Black, I think you're stunningly gorgeous and I can't take my eyes off of you."

Mocking or not, it felt good to hear Bella say she was attracted to him.

"So is this a recent development?" He wondered if this attraction came with the imprint, or if she had always secretly felt that way.

"No, not exactly, it's just recently acceptable for me to feel this way, I guess. You've been hot for a while now. You see how people look at you; you're a stud muffin."

"You know, I've never understood why someone decided 'muffin' was a compliment. Have you ever looked at a muffin?" At least if he had to be a muffin, he'd be blueberry. Mmm, blueberry muffins…his stomach growled.

"You're thinking about muffins, aren't you, Jake?" Bella said knowingly.

"What gave me away?"

"You're practically drooling."

"What can I say, I'm a growing boy, remember?" He flexed his biceps again, just like he had yesterday morning. Yesterday felt like ages ago.

"Oh God, Jake, when you did that yesterday? 'These guns need ammunition?'" she said in a mock-deep voice. "_I_ was practically drooling."

"You can have these muffins any time you want," really, any time, he thought. Like now. But muffins… Two of his strongest desires were battling.

"All this muffin talk is making me hungry. Let's stop and grab some breakfast," he suggested. Before Bella could answer, he made a split-second decision and whipped the car into the neighboring I-HOP before he could pass it.

"Wow, you weren't kidding. Hungry much?"

"Just a little," he joked.

Once inside, they were greeted by a young waitress, "AMY", according to her nametag.

"Table for two?" She asked. It was clear from her body language and the direction of her stare that she was asking Jacob.

"Yes, please," he said, reaching for Bella's hand before the waitress could get the wrong idea. Bella couldn't help but grin at the small, territorial action. The blonde either didn't notice or didn't care.

"You know," Bella whispered after they had ordered their food, "I'm not sure how I'm going to handle your fans. I'm not usually the jealous type."

"Trust me, you've got nothing to worry about," Jacob assured her. He turned to look in the direction of the waitress as he referenced her, and she winked. Great.

"Is it silly that I can't wait to tell everyone?" Jacob asked. "The pack always gives me so much crap about it. Quil and Paul's favorite thing to do is quote things right out of my head at awkward moments. They all get on me about thinking about you so much. I guess it's their way of getting me back."

"It's not silly, Jake," she smiled. She didn't mind if people knew, but the thought of running to school and telling everyone made her a little nervous. Mike and Tyler were bound to be nosy about it, and of course Mike would have to bring up the age difference. Screw Mike. Maybe if she bragged about Jake, he'd finally lay off.

"You know, you could be useful, Mr. Black. Maybe Mike and Tyler will finally take a hint when they hear about my stud muffin of a boyfriend."

"Bella!" Jacob gasped dramatically. "Are you saying you're going to use me?"

"Just a little."

"Sweet, I've never been used before," he joked. Bella reached under the table and pinched his leg.

"Ow!" He said, grabbing her hand and trapping her there.

"Hey!" she giggled.

"Sorry Bells, wolf reflexes. I should warn you now, it's hard to surprise me." He stroked the back of her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before releasing it.

The conversation was interrupted by two steaming heaps of pancakes and a side of sausage and eggs.

"You let me know if there's _anything_ else I can do for you," Amy lightly squeezed Jacob's shoulder before walking away.

Bella opened her mouth and made a gagging motion with her finger, then transferred three of her five pancakes to Jacob's plate.

Jacob had more than twice the amount of food Bella had, but nobody was surprised that he still finished first. When it was time to pay and leave, Jacob was appalled at the check. "Amy" had signed her name with X's and O's and added her number to the bottom of the receipt. Without showing it to Bella, he slid out of his seat and into the side next to Bella, putting an arm around her. Bella raised an eyebrow questioningly, but said nothing.

"Thanks for stopping by! I hope you'll come back," Amy said with a sickening smile as she picked up the check.

Jacob jumped on the opportunity. "Oh, I wish we could, but we're actually just passing through on our way home from our honeymoon," he smiled at her innocently. Amy's smile was replaced with a grimace. Bella's smile shifted to a full-on "what the hell are you doing?" face for just a second before becoming blank once again.

"It's been great, hasn't it, honey?" he prompted.

"The best, muffin," Bella responded without skipping a beat.

"And the pancakes were a great note to end on. Thanks!" he said as a dismissal to Amy. He quickly turned and kissed Bella while Amy was still watching. Jacob had never been a fan of the phrase "sucking face," but it was probably a more accurate description in this particular case. Amy retreated from the obvious defeat without looking back.

Jacob climbed out of the now cramped booth and pulled Bella along by the hand. "Come on, honey," he joked, keeping up the charade. Bella just grinned and slipped her hand into his.

Once outside again, both let loose with the laughter they were restraining during the performance.

"Jacob Black, what the hell was that? You were acting..." Territorial. Childish. Like a…16 year old. She laughed. "You were acting your age."

"I guess we don't get to do that very often," Jacob confessed. And with that, he scooped her up and carried his bride over the threshold of the Rabbit.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The rest of the drive was peaceful and ultimately uneventful, the exact opposite of both of their lives back in Forks and La Push. There was something exciting about just sitting and feeling happy together and not having to worry about anything else. When they were about 20 minutes outside of Forks, their happy bubble burst and worries started to seep in. Bella wondered if Charlie would actually believe that she had just slept over at Angela's house and then spent the day with Jacob. They were both horrible liars, and she doubted it. Then she realized a flaw in her plan.

"Ugh, Jake, I'm about to get grounded forever. You know how I told Charlie I was going to spend time with Angela? I bet he was a little skeptical when he got home and saw that my car was still in the driveway." How could she have not taken her car into account?

"Yikes, yeah, that's a bit of a problem. Maybe you could tell him that Angela picked you up? Or that you were hanging out with me first and I took you to her house?"

"I guess I'll try it, but I'm a horrible liar. Charlie will look at me and know," she frowned. "Whatever happens though, it was worth it."

"Yeah I have a feeling the guys are going to kill me, but I think I'll still be grinning the whole time knowing it was worth it. And I'll be sure to think really sappy thoughts at them while they do it."

When they finally pulled up in front of Bella's house, neither one wanted to get out of the car.

"Thank you so much for making me go, Jacob. I feel like a new person, a whole person. I'm more than whole, Jake; I've got you. I could cry I'm so happy." She reached across the seat and put her arms around his huge frame. He hugged her back and stroked her hair. "I know, Bells. I know." He really did.

Jacob made himself get out of the car and open the door for her.

"Do you want me to stick around, Bella? Maybe I could help defuse Charlie with my natural charm."

"Thanks Jake, but it's probably best if I go it alone. I don't want to have to explain to Charlie why the bullet didn't kill you," she joked. "So I'll see you tomorrow?"

"You better." He bent down to kiss her goodbye, and Bella stood on her tiptoes to meet him halfway.

"Love you, Jake," she whispered as they pulled away. She would never get tired of saying those words.

"I Love you too," he echoed. Then Bella went inside to face something scarier than any of the monsters that kept her company.

"ISABELLA SWAN?" She heard as the door creaked shut.

"Yeah Dad, it's me." She tried to follow his voice into the den, but he met her halfway in the kitchen.

"Just WHERE in God's name have you been?" Charlie shouted.

"I was with Jake. He just dropped me off." She thought it would be best to start with as much truth as she could before attempting anything else; maybe she could even manage an explanation where everything she said was technically true.

"Bella, it's 9:30 at night, and I haven't heard from you all day!" Charlie punctuated every few syllables by jabbing the air angrily with his index finger. "I don't mind if you're going to be later than usual, but you could give me a call and let me know you haven't been kidnapped or something."

The irony was just too much, and Bella snickered a little before regaining her composure.

Charlie's angry voice faltered. "Don't laugh when I'm lecturing; it makes me feel ineffective. What's so funny?"

"It's nothing. I'm sorry I didn't call. I swear I was fine, we just sort of lost track of time, that's all." So far, it was all true.

"There's something you're not telling me," Charlie accused. Bella remained silent.

"Bella…" his angry voice was making a comeback.

"Okay, okay, Jake took me to an amusement park. We left really early,"—yesterday—"but we were having so much fun that we lost track of time." Bella confessed. There was still hope that she could tell him the truth without telling him ALL of the truth. It was a miracle he hadn't mentioned her car in the driveway yet.

"You were with Jake all day?" Charlie's angry voice was changing again. This time, his voice only showed surprise.

"Yeah, it was great."

"Oh…" Did he sound _happy_? "Well, uh, I'm glad you kids had fun, but next time, give me a call, will you Bells? I was worried," Charlie looked defeated but oddly content.

"I will, dad. I'm sorry." Bella gave him a quick hug, and he awkwardly patted her back. She decided she better break the news about their new relationship later.

"Did you get something to eat? I'm sorry I wasn't here to make dinner." She scanned the kitchen to see any evidence of food. There was a pot next to the sink, but she couldn't see what was in it.

"Yeah, I made some spaghetti, but then I decided I'd rather have pizza."

Bella walked over to the pot and peered in. There was a large mass of what might have been noodles, only in the current state, "noodles" wasn't quite the right word for it. "Noodles" implied there was something plural in the pot. The item in question was definitely…singular.

"I can see why," she laughed.

Jacob grinned all the way home and knew that nothing he encountered in La Push could mess with this high he was feeling. He realized that news of the imprint would probably trump any anger from the pack or Billy anyway. With a pat on the roof, he tucked the Rabbit into the garage for the night and went inside to face his dad with the grin still plastered on his face. He knew he must look like a kid who just arrived at Disney World, but he couldn't help it. Bella loved him. Bella LOVED him. He pinched his forearm and she still loved him. Life was good.

He opened the door and spotted Billy watching TV in the tiny living room.

"How—well, I was going to ask how the trip was, but now that I see your face, I can tell that you think it was a good decision. Care to fill an old man in?" Billy asked calmly.

Jacob grabbed a Dr. Pepper from the fridge, then plopped down on the couch and leaned back with his arms folded behind his head.

"I don't even know where to start, Dad. It was the best day of my entire life. I still can't believe it."

"That's a pretty bold statement, son. What happened?"

"I've got some big news; I want to share it with the pack all at once, but I'm going to explode if I don't go ahead and tell somebody."

Billy interrupted him, "It happened, didn't it?"

The grin spoke first. "Yeah, how did you know?" If anybody had any faith in Jacob, it was his dad.

"I recognized the look on your face," Billy grinned. "Were you guys safe?"

"Of course. I love Bella; you know I would do my best to take care of her," Jacob remembered the bars on the windows next door, but they had kept the door locked and he _was_ a werewolf after all. There was never any real danger.

"Well congratulations son, I'm happy for you. I know you've wanted this for a long time."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Explain one thing to me, though. Why are you wanting to gather the pack to tell them? I know they'll know anyway with the mind connection and all, but maybe it would be better to be more discreet about it," Billy suggested.

"What? Why would you even say that? Of course it affects the whole pack. They need to know!" Jacob shouted. What was wrong with his dad? He freaking IMPRINTED ON BELLA SWAN! Why was this not a big deal? He'd rather tattoo it on his face than keep it "discreet."

"Just think about Bella's feelings, son. Do you really think she wants you blabbing about her sex life to a bunch of teenage boys?"

Jacob promptly spit Dr. Pepper all over the carpet. "SEX? We didn't have sex! Why would you think that?" Jacob bellowed.

"Well then what? What have you been talking about, then?" Billy was lost. Hadn't his son just lost his virginity to his first love?

"You tell me why you thought THAT first!" Jacob demanded. Really? His own father thought he had deflowered Bella and then came home to gloat about it? He wasn't one to kiss and tell. His grin made an encore appearance when he realized that he would finally have someone to kiss and something worth telling in the first place.

"Well you spent last night in a hotel room with the girl, and then you waltzed in here with a grin the size of Washington looking like you owned the place. I just assumed…" Billy trailed off realizing how silly the misunderstanding was. "But then what really happened?"

"I imprinted on her," saying the words removed his anger, and he couldn't help but laugh a little as he said it.

"Oh, my. Wow! Jake, I'm so happy for you!" he wheeled himself closer to his son and gave him a hug. "You deserve this. But why now? Why not sooner?"

"Well dad, I've had this theory for a while…"


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

When Bella woke the next morning, she already missed Jacob. So much for taking things slow, she thought.

She quickly showered and dressed in hopes of seeing Jacob soon. She ran downstairs for breakfast and found Charlie eating a bowl of cereal.

"Morning, Dad!" she said, reaching for a bowl of her own.

"Good morning, Bells." Charlie suspiciously glanced at his daughter's uncharacteristic grin.

Bella poured her cereal and sat down before either one spoke again. The Swans weren't really a small talk kind of family.

"Bella, are you humming?" Charlie raised an eyebrow, definitely suspicious now.

"Oh, um, I guess I am. I didn't even notice," she answered truthfully.

True to his motto of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," Charlie decided not to press her any further. If Bella was finally over that Cullen kid, he didn't want to do anything to remind her and compromise it.

"So what are you doing today?" he asked, getting up to put his bowl in the sink.

"I'm not sure yet. I'll probably go hang out with Jake."

"Again? You guys sure have been spending a lot of time together," Charlie remarked. He secretly hoped that Bella would come to her senses and give Jacob the time of day. He was trustworthy, the type of kid Bella would be safe with.

"Yeah, we have fun together." Bella walked to the sink and began washing the two bowls.

"Well you two have fun, but how about give me a call if you decide to take off again?"

"Sure, Dad," she smiled.

"I'll be back in time for dinner, Bells, have a good day." Charlie shut the door behind him and took off for work.

Bella quickly dried the bowls and put them away, then thought about calling Jacob. Before she could decide if it was too early, the phone rang.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hey, Bells, it's me," Jacob's voice did something to calm the anxiety she didn't even realize she was feeling.

"Oh hey, Jake. I was just about to call you. When can I see you?"

"Whenever you're ready. I was actually calling because I set up a meeting with the pack. I thought you might want to be there when I tell them."

"Sure, I'll be right over."

"Great! See you soon," Jacob said.

"See ya, Jake."

Bella hung up, grabbed her keys, and hopped in the truck immediately.

Jacob was still wearing the goofy grin when he heard Bella's truck pull up to the garage. He ran out to greet her before she could even get out of the truck, and when she did, he scooped her up and spun her around.

"Jake!" Bella exclaimed.

"Sorry Bells, I just couldn't help myself."

"Me neither," she said as she used the added height to kiss him unexpectedly. It was the one downside to having a giant for a boyfriend. You always had to ask permission for a kiss.

He set her back down gently. "I could get used to this," he admitted.

"So when is the meeting?" Bella asked.

"Soon. We should probably head over to Sam and Emily's now. I'll drive," he offered.

Jacob walked over to the Rabbit and held the passenger door open as Bella stepped in.

"So how did Charlie take it? The fact that you're even here right now is a good sign." Jacob started the engine.

"I managed to tell him the truth without telling him everything. I think he's under the impression that I did spend the night with Angela, but you picked me up the next morning and took me to an amusement park. I didn't exactly say where, just that we lost track of time," Bella explained.

"And he wasn't mad? I told you he loves me, Bells!" Jacob loved being right, but he especially loved being right when it involved finally getting together with Bella.

"No, he just sounded worried. He actually relaxed when I told him I was with you. I didn't tell him about us just yet, though. I thought that would lead to more questions that I might not be able to answer without giving too many details of our trip. I'll tell him soon, though. How did your dad take it?"

Jacob wasn't sure how to tell her about the embarrassing mix up, but it was too funny to leave out.

"Well, there was a little misunderstanding at first," Jacob hedged. "We talked for a good five minutes before we realized we were talking about two very different events. He, uh, thought I was talking about sex," he punctuated the sentence with a nervous laugh.

"Jake! What kind of a girl does Billy think I am?" Bella half shrieked. She wasn't sure whether she should laugh or be mortified.

"Don't worry, I set him straight after a little shouting and a lot of laughing. He's very happy for us. He said he hopes this means you'll be around more to cook for him."

Bella rolled her eyes. "He would. How do you think the pack is going to take it?"

"I think they'll be shocked, but they'll be happy for us," Jacob smiled and squeezed Bella's hand as he pulled into the driveway.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Definitely."

They walked up the wooden steps and into the small house together. Bella immediately fell in love with the house. It was small, but in a cozy, warm sort of way. It felt like a home.

They were greeted by a room full of people, and Bella noticed a few familiar faces. Most of them betrayed just a second of outright shock before settling into an unreadable mask once again.

"Bella, you know Sam," said Jacob, choosing to ignore the obvious tension. Sam gave her a curt nod.

"This is Emily," Jake gestured towards a pretty Quileute woman with long dark hair.

Bella noticed the scar she had been told about, but Emily was beautiful regardless of the line.

"Hello, Bella. It's great to finally meet you. We've all heard so much about you," Emily said, bringing Bella into an unexpected hug.

"It's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you guys, too," Bella responded with a smile. She was going to be spending a lot of time with these people, and she really hoped they would like her.

"You know Quil and Embry," they gave her smiles from their seats on the couch in the center of the room. Jacob motioned to the third person occupying the couch and three others crowded around an armchair. "This is Jared, Paul, Leah, and her brother Seth."

Jared shook her hand stiffly, Paul winked, and Leah just stared. Jacob served Paul a discreet kick when Bella was busy shaking Seth's hand.

"I suppose you came to explain your sudden disappearance?" Sam asked. "You have a duty here, Jacob. You can't just take off without telling anyone," he looked upset. Jacob understood. After all, he had been breaking all of the rules for Bella.

"We went on a roadtrip," he said defensively.

"Where," Sam demanded rather than asked.

"Amusementpark," Jacob mumbled. He wasn't easily intimidated, but he knew how childish it sounded out loud. It was one of those things where you had to be there to understand the importance. Sam definitely didn't look like he understood.

"An amusement park?" Leah shouted. "We've been busting our asses on Jake watch and you were riding roller coasters and flirting? If you brought her here hoping we'd go easy on your sorry ass, you were wrong," she glowered.

Jacob didn't dignify her outburst with a response.

"If you guys will just let me explain, you'll understand." This wasn't going as well as he hoped. Hell, what had he expected? Colorful munchkins to pop out riding happy unicorns? Of course they were going to rip him a new one for taking off. They probably would have already phased and started the process if Bella hadn't come. Crap. It really did look like he brought Bella as some kind of shield. Damn it, he was NOT a wimp! They already though he was completely whipped in the Bella department. He couldn't wait to wipe the smug grins off of their faces and maybe serve up a few well-deserved _I told you so_'s.

"I can't wait to hear this," Paul smirked.

"Go ahead, we're listening," Sam directed.

Bella slipped her hand silently into Jacob's to offer support, and Quil eyed them with a confused look on his face.

"I imprinted on Bella." There. That would fix everything.

There was a clash of reactions throughout the room. Sam's eyebrows shot up in a look of utter disbelief, Emily exclaimed "That's wonderful!", and Embry shouted "Hell yes!" and jumped up to give Jacob a high five all at once. Bella could have sworn she heard Leah mutter "you've got to be kidding me," but when she turned, Leah was still just glaring at her.

"Shut up!" Sam shouted to rein everyone in. Bella couldn't tell if he had made some kind of alpha command or if they were all just as intimidated as she was. Either way, the room became silent once again.

"Are you sure? How?" Sam asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. It's kind of a long story. I've had this theory for a while…"

Everyone remained completely silent while he explained. When he was done, everyone looked a little calmer, but still surprised.

"Your theory is intriguing. If you don't mind, I'd like to try something before we take this any further. Jake, join me outside for a minute?" Sam asked rather than commanded this time.

Jacob was hesitant to leave Bella, but Emily walked over and put an arm around her.

"She'll be fine," Emily whispered. Jake nodded once and followed Sam out the door.

"So, we know how Jake feels, but how does his precious little Bella feel? You down with this, Swan? I thought that leech sucked you dry," Leah asked mockingly. She was still sitting leisurely in the chair, investigating her fingernails as if none of this was really of her concern.

Bella had wanted to like Leah on the principle that she was a member of the female species, but she got the feeling that Leah would make sure that didn't happen.

"Leah!" Emily warned.

"What? It's not like the rest of you aren't thinking it. She's been torturing Jake for months now; you guys have heard his thoughts. Well what the hell makes today any different? How do we know she's telling the truth?" Leah pushed.

"I love him," Bella said. "I don't know how to prove it, but I do. Things finally feel right. My feelings for Edward were nothing compared to how I feel about Jake." It felt strange admitting this to a room full of people when she had only admitted it to herself two days ago.

"Give it a rest, Leah," Embry intervened. "If she says she loves him, she loves him." Bella gave him a thankful smile.

"So how did it happen? Everyone who has imprinted has an imprint story, kind of like when people tell stories of how they got engaged. What's yours?" Quil asked invitingly.

Bella knew he was trying to be nice and show his support, but no way was she telling anyone what had been happening before the imprint.

"Um, it's kind of…personal. I'm sorry; I'd just rather keep it between me and Jake." Bella hoped they wouldn't push the issue. She probably should have just come up with something more PG, but she didn't want to lie when it was clear that winning some of their trust was going to be a battle already, even with the truth.

"It's alright, we'll just pick his brain during the next patrol," Paul grinned.

Oh god, Bella hadn't thought of that. Was being with Jacob going to be like dating the whole group? They would always be able to access their most intimate moments. Her anxiety lessened and was replaced with desire when she thought about having intimate moments with Jacob in the future.

The attention turned back to Sam when he and Jacob returned moments later.

"He's telling the truth," Sam admitted. "We phased and he showed me." He turned to speak directly to Bella. "Welcome to the pack, Bella. We're glad to have you," he extended his huge hand, and Bella gladly accepted as her cheeks grew bright pink. If Jacob had showed Sam the imprint, then he had seen them in a very intimate moment.

"Dude, she's blushing! Hey Sam, tell us what happened!" Quil sounded excited.

"I'll leave that for Jacob and Bella to decide," Sam said with the hint of a smile.

Quil shot Jacob a hopeful grin. He could practically see a question mark on the guy's face.

"Not on your life," Jacob said with an evasive smile and put an arm around Bella's waist. Life couldn't get any better than this.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

They spent the rest of the day lounging around La Push doing nothing in particular. After having lunch and watching a movie on Jacob's living room floor (five uncomfortably cramped minutes on the couch had seen to that), they headed out to walk on the beach.

At first, they simply walked silently, hand in hand. Then Jacob spotted the log. _The_ log. He began to walk backwards and led Bella by her hand.

"And this," he gestured towards the worn down wood, "is where it all began." Bella stepped into his arms and felt his warmth envelope her. She didn't care that it was summer and already warm out.

"Tell me your version of the story. How did it all begin?" Bella asked as they sat on the old log.

Jacob had a sudden image of a much older version of himself and Bella sitting on this same log, surrounded by several generations of younger people gathered around a bonfire. He would love telling this story to his grandchildren one day. _Their_ grandchildren, he amended.

"Oh, where to begin…" he pondered before finding the right memory. "The first time I saw Bella Swan, I was terrified. I was six years old, and she was bigger, smarter, and prettier than I was. She was also better with a slingshot."

"Oh my god, Jake, you _remember_ that?" Bella's eyes were wide.

"I do," he smiled knowingly. "But we'll skip to _this_ part of the story," he said, patting the log.

"I guess it goes something like this," he began. "I still remember the day I fell in love with Bella Swan," he announced to his imaginary audience. "It was right here on this beach. I was hanging around with some of the other locals when Bella and her friends arrived. She looked familiar, and it didn't take me long to place her as Charlie's daughter. She had been friends with my older sisters, not me. I was barely fifteen and she was seventeen, and I knew I had no chance. Still, I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She was gorgeous—even in her raincoat as she tripped over the rocks," Jacob added, winking at Bella. She rolled her eyes but leaned in to rest her head on his shoulder.

"I was so nervous, but I knew I had to talk to her. When someone got up and left the seat next to Bella empty, I knew I had to take the chance. We talked about the truck Charlie bought for her, the only common ground we had. I rambled about cars, not really caring about cars at all for the first time in my life. Then, the unthinkable happened. She looked at me, I mean really looked at me with those big brown eyes, and asked if I wanted to walk down to the beach with her. With the way she was looking at me, I would have nodded in agreement no matter what her request had been. That was when I knew." Bella blushed, knowing that she had been playing him for information all along.

"When she looked at me like that again, I spilled all the secrets I had been sworn not to tell. I wanted to impress her, so I played up the stories of wolves and vampires that neither one of us believed. It's all so ironic looking back." He continued, "She showed me her goose bumps as proof that I had been a good story teller. I believed her," he admitted sheepishly.

He knew he was cleaning up the story a little bit, providing a much happier, nostalgic view than the way it had really happened, the way people often clean up memories for their liking. He wouldn't bring Edward into their tale. Cullen was simply a point of conflict in the story, a distraction, but not the climax or the happy ending. He was unnecessary.

"She flirted with me and asked me to come visit her when I got my license. I could tell she didn't see it yet, couldn't see an 'us,' but I saw it. She became the center of everything for me that day, and from that day on, I knew I had to do my best to make her see it, too." He smiled down at Bella and saw the tear fall down her cheek.

"Oh, Jake, I'm so sorry I put you through all of this. I'm such an idiot," she wept softly, once again knowing that he had known all along, and she had dragged them both through hell for nothing.

He brushed her hair behind her ear and whispered, "It was worth it," then kissed her neck. She turned and met his mouth with her own.

This was the first time Bella could recall using the word "romantic" to describe Jacob. He was absolutely adorable, and absolutely _hers_.

"I love you, Jacob Black."

"I love you too, Bells."

***  
Back at Jacob's house, they were shocked to see that it was nearing five o'clock.

"I should probably get home soon so I can cook for Charlie. Will you come with me? I'm not ready to leave you yet," Bella told Jacob.

"Bells, you're asking if I'll come take part in my two favorite things in the world. Of course I'll come with you," Jacob joked. He was glad Bella wasn't ready to leave him yet. He didn't think he could let her go either. They both headed out the door.

"I guess we should take separate cars, though," Bella realized. "Charlie won't want me driving you back here, and he'll get suspicious if you don't bring a car."

"You're right. I miss you already," Jacob said, leaning down to kiss her.

Bella reached up and met him halfway again and circled her arms around his neck. Jacob pulled her body closer to him and wrapped his arms around her back. She felt his tongue enter her mouth, and it felt every bit as new and exciting as it had the first time in the hotel room. Okay, maybe it was more like the second time when she wasn't being crazy. She sensed that every day would be like this. They would grow old together, but they wouldn't grow old to each other. It was exhilarating thinking about feeling this way every day for the rest of her life.

Bella finally pulled back before they got completely lost in the moment.

"God, you're perfect," Jacob said.

"You're wrong on both counts; I'm not God, and I'm not perfect," Bella teased.

Jacob swatted at her behind in response, and then jumped away when she tried to pinch him back.

"See you in a few minutes!" he called, running to his car with a grin before she could catch him. Stupid werewolf speed.

Back in Bella's driveway, Jacob stretched and yawned after shutting his car door, making a show of how tired and bored he had been.

"Next time, you're following me. That was torture, Bella!" Jacob joked.

"I'm not driving any faster just because you're ahead of me, Jake. All that means is you'll get here first and you'll have to spend quality time alone with Charlie."

"Hey, I like Charlie," Jacob said in a mock defensive tone.

"More than you like me?" Bella asked from the door.

"Not even a little," Jacob confessed, and followed her inside.

"Hey, Dad!" Bella called from the back door. She and Jacob walked into the living room where Charlie was sitting in his chair.

"Hey there, Jake, good to see you!" Charlie looked genuinely happy to see him.

"Hey, Charlie," Jake smiled and winked at Bella when Charlie wasn't looking.

"I'm going to go ahead and get dinner started. How does fish sound?" Bella asked.

"Great" Charlie and Jacob said in unison as Jacob sat on the couch.

Men, Bella thought, and smiled to herself. She kept an ear out for their conversation as she cooked, but it was all small talk about sports and food and Charlie's fishing trips with Billy. Jacob must have been waiting to let Bella tell Charlie herself.

"Come and get it!" she called.

Jacob grinned to himself thinking of all the possibilities that command could hold.

Bella served herself one piece of fish and left the rest of the heaping plate to Charlie and Jacob. She could tell Jacob was trying to restrain himself from eating too much in front of her dad. She thought of all the times Edward had claimed that he wasn't hungry or that he had already eaten for Charlie's sake, and she smiled at the thought that she would never have that problem with Jacob.

"So, do you guys have any more spontaneous trips planned?" Charlie asked.

"No, we'll be sticking close to home for a while, Dad," Bella answered.

"Oh, uh, sorry about that, Charlie. It was all my idea. I actually didn't even tell her where we were going until we were halfway there," Jacob confessed.

"Ah, the element of surprise. Well, I can't fault you there." Charlie smiled at Jacob's efforts and hoped they would pay off. Jacob would make a great son in law some day, or so he hoped. It was just a simple matter of waiting for Bella to see it.

"Um, Dad? There's actually something I've been meaning to tell you," Bella started.

"Yeah, kiddo? What is it?"

"Jacob and I are sort of…dating." Bella held her breath to wait for his reaction. She knew he liked Jacob, but then he had definitely played the intimidating dad card with Edward. She hoped he had run out of those.

"Really?" Charlie's eyes went wide. "That's fantastic!" He reached out and awkwardly clapped Jacob on the back.

"I couldn't agree more," Jacob admitted.

"When did this happen?" Charlie asked.

"Oh, I think it's been a long time coming," Bella answered honestly as she finished up her trout.

Charlie chuckled, "I'll say. I was wondering when you were going to catch on, Bells."

Bella blushed and wondered if Charlie would be as enthusiastic if he knew the extent of their trip. She decided he liked Jacob enough to give him a head start running before he grabbed the shotgun if he found out.

"Dinner was great, Bells," Jacob and Charlie said in unison once again. They looked at each other.

"This is just getting weird," said Charlie.

"Well, they do say girls always marry someone like their father," Jacob teased.

"For the record, I'm Team Jacob all the way, but let's leave the marriage talk for later. Much later," Charlie said, suddenly sounding more serious.

"Sure thing, Charlie. We won't be eloping any time soon; scout's honor."

Charlie was suddenly a little more worried about the possibility of any more spontaneous trips.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

The next two weeks passed in a happy routine. Most days, Bella ended up at Jacob's house early in the morning. The two would spend time walking on the beach (and playing in the water, courtesy of Bella's new swimsuit), then head back to the house where Bella would fix lunch. They would eat, then shower, then snuggle on the floor while pretending to watch a movie. Jacob would follow her home where she would cook dinner for Charlie, there would be small talk at the dinner table, and Jacob would hesitantly leave once again. Wash, rinse, and repeat. Variation B of the routine occasionally included Jacob spending the day at Bella's house where board games were substituted in place of beach time. But it was a routine in the way that the first day of school was a routine. You'd done it a million times, but somehow that didn't make it any less exciting or new.

On the 16th day of their official relationship (not that she was counting), the routine was broken when Mike called. How did he even get her number?

"Hey, Bella!" he sounded way too excited.

"Mike! Hey, what's up?" Bella asked, hoping that he wasn't about to ask her out…again.

"Oh, not too much. You know. A group of us are going to see that new comedy with Steve Carrell tonight. Would you like to come?" he asked hopefully.

If it was a group thing, Bella thought, it would be a good chance to break the news about Jacob.

"That sounds like fun, Mike. Is it okay if I bring someone?"

"Yeah, that's fine. So…who's the friend?" He asked, sounding less sure of himself. Bella noticed that Mike used the word "friend" even though she was careful not to. She would correct it later.

"Jacob Black." She started to remind Mike who Jake was, but couldn't think of a way to do it without being awkward. _Remember? Jacob Black? That guy whose car you threw up in after acting like a complete jackass? _

"Oh yeah, that guy. Yeah, I guess you can bring him. Listen, we're meeting at my family's store at seven, then heading to the movie. That sound okay?"

"Sure Mike, we'll be there."

"See you then!"

"Bye."

It was a variation B day, and Jacob was already sitting at the Swan kitchen table scarfing down the omelet Bella had made for him.

"So what did you just volunteer me for, Bells?" Jacob asked in between bites. He used the pause to gulp down half a glass of orange juice.

"We're going to see a movie with Mike and a group of friends, if that's okay with you," Bella answered.  
"Is that okay?"

Jacob feigned rolling his eyes in annoyance. "Just kidding. Of course I'll go with you. Does this mean I get to show you off in public?" Bella couldn't help but notice that the way he waggled his eyebrows at her was somehow particularly wolfish.

"Maybe just a little," Bella smiled. She wasn't a fan of PDA, but after watching numerous girls ogle Jacob from afar while they were 'just friends,' it might be nice to claim what was hers.

Jacob liked the idea of being an official item in public, or whatever it was called. Going steady? Who the hell cared, he was with Bella. It would be fun to wipe Newton clean of any hope he had been harboring.

After a quick routine dinner with Charlie, Bella and Jacob pulled into Newton's next to the Suburban. The windows were rolled down, and inside Bella could see Mike, Jessica, Tyler, Ben, and Angela.

"Hi, Bella, Jacob," Jessica greeted them from the window. Probably only because she was closest to them, Bella thought. Jessica had been less than friendly the last few times they had seen each other.

"Hey Jess," Bella responded while Jacob waved.

Mike leaned over Jessica so he could be seen and heard. She looked like she might give his head a good smack while he was pushing her out of the way to talk to Bella, but he was oblivious to his offense.

"We've got room for you two in the back if you want to ride with us," Mike offered.

Bella looked questioningly at Jacob, not wanting to outright refuse or cause a scene by discussing it where they could be overheard. Jacob shrugged.

"Are you sure there's room?" Bella wondered if Jacob would be able to squeeze into the back.

"Yeah, sure. Come on in!" Mike motioned.

Ben hopped out of his seat and pulled it forward to let them by. Jacob looked at the tiny gap and laughed. "Um, I don't think I'm going to fit," he admitted.

"Here, take my seat," Jessica offered. She wanted to torture Mike a little for shoving her out of the way earlier.

The seat change left Jacob and Mike in the front, Ben, Tyler, and Angela in the middle, and Bella and Jessica paired in the back. The acoustics of the Suburban meant that Bella and Jessica were pretty much cut off from any conversation coming from up front. It was going to be a long ride if Jessica wouldn't loosen up.

"So, you and Jacob have been pretty friendly lately," Jessica commented stiffly.

"Yeah, actually, we're dating now," Bella confessed.

"Really?" Jessica dropped the uptight act and switched into gossip mode. "I knew it! How long? How did it happen? I want details!" she gushed.

"Just a few weeks now. He took me on this roadtrip to an amusement park, and it was just a really good day. I finally realized just how much I like him," Bella smiled. _Love him_ was more like it, but there was no need to disclose that much just yet. It's not like they could explain the imprint to anyone outside of the pack who thought they were rushing into things.

"O-M-G. That's too adorable!" Jessica chattered.

Bella decided to shift the conversation to Jessica's favorite subject: Jessica.

"So, you and Mike?" Bella whispered.

"Well, sort of. I keep getting mixed signals. We've gone out on dates, but he's not so good at expressing how he feels," Jessica confided.

Bella took the admission as a good sign and decided that Jessica ceased to see her as a threat on the Mike front now that she was safely paired with Jacob.

"Oh, I bet he likes you. You know Mike, he's never exactly been the poetic type," Bella offered. She hoped it was the truth.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Besides, last night when we were kissing…" Jessica continued to gush details about her relationship with Mike. Bella tried her best to keep up. She had been briefed in all of Mike's kissing habits and successfully avoided disclosing Jacob's by the time they reached the theatre.

When Bella finally reunited with Jacob outside of the Suburban, Mike looked like someone had recently poked him with something sharp, and Jacob had a smug grin on his face. She shot Jacob an accusatory look and decided she would have to ask about it later.

After hitting up the concessions area for overpriced popcorn, the group headed into the theatre to find seats. Tyler found a row with enough empty seats for everyone and began to file in with Bella and Jacob pulling up the rear. Bella was sandwiched between Angela and Jacob, and Jacob was in an aisle seat. She felt a brief moment of pity as she realized that everyone was paired off except for Tyler, sticking out like a seventh wheel. It was easy to get over when she realized that if she hadn't brought Jake, _she_ would have been stuck with Tyler.

"Do you know anything about the movie?" Bella whispered to Angela during the previews. She hadn't gotten a chance to talk to Angela yet and didn't want it to seem like she was ignoring her.

"No," Angela admitted. "It's something the guys picked out. It's supposed to be really funny," she shrugged.

"Hmm, I'm worried now," Bella joked, hoping it wouldn't be too awful. Mike and Tyler's idea of funny was sticking pencils up their noses and sneaking unidentified objects into each other's food. The time Mike found an expertly placed hairclip halfway through eating his mashed potatoes _had_ been funny, but it wasn't something Bella wanted to watch for two hours straight.

"Popcorn?" Jacob offered. Bella took a handful, dropping a few pieces on the floor before reaching her mouth.

"Hmm, my favorite thing throwing my second favorite thing on the floor. What am I going to do with you, Bells?" Jacob smiled.

"Throw me on the floor too?" She joked, and then felt horrified when she saw the smug look on Jacob's face and realized exactly what she had just said.

"That's not what I meant…" she tried to retract her suggestive words.

"Shh, the movie's starting," Jacob smirked behind the finger he held to his lips, though there was no way he was going to be paying attention to the movie with THAT image in his head.

Bella quickly realized that the movie was fifteen kinds of awkward. She was grateful that the lights were low to hide her burning red cheeks at some of the scenes. It was the kind of thing that was even more awkward knowing your friends were there seeing and hearing it too. There were tons of crude jokes and a few very uncomfortable sex scenes.

Jacob kept stealing sidelong glances of Bella to watch her reactions. He loved how squeamish she looked and jokingly covered her eyes during one part. She moved his hand away. "You're younger than me, remember? You're not even legally supposed to be here," she reminded him with a whisper. She didn't let go of his hand, though. She squeezed his buttery fingers with her own and brought their arms down to rest between them. Jacob offered her the last bit of popcorn before abandoning it.

This time, she dropped a piece directly down her shirt. She sat for a moment, not quite sure what to do. It was far enough down that she didn't want to just reach in and pull it out.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom," she whispered to Angela before getting up.

When she reached the lighted hallway, she jumped at the feeling of a hand on her waist.

"Don't do that!" she gasped. Jacob just pulled her closer and smiled.

He looked around to see if anyone was watching, but they seemed to be alone. He quickly slid his fingers up the bottom of her shirt, feeling around for the missing popcorn. He retrieved it from where it had stuck to the bottom of her bra, then popped it into his mouth with a sly grin.

"Ew, Jake! You are such a teenage _boy_," Bella complained, emphasizing "boy" as if it were some kind of insult. She tried to sound serious, but her smile crept through without permission.

"Last I checked, you loved this teenage boy," he flirted, pulling her in for a kiss.

About twenty seconds later, Bella realized she had gotten way too caught up in the moment for being in a hallway at a movie theatre.

"Jake," she pulled away. "We need to go back inside. They'll wonder where we went. They'll more than wonder, actually, they'll start forming hypotheses."

"This," Jacob indicated, tracing Bella's lips with his index finger, "is way more PG than what's going on in there."

"Yeah, this isn't exactly my type of movie," she admitted. "Still, we should go back."

Bella grabbed Jacob's hand, and he allowed her to lead him back inside the theatre.

"I feel like a dog on a leash," he joked.

When they sat back down, they received five curious and accusing looks. Bella just smiled and felt her cheeks turn crimson. She caught Jacob winking with a grin and gave him a light smack on the arm.

Now popcorn free, Jacob grabbed Bella's hand in her lap. He stroked the skin on the back of her hand gently with his thumb.

Bella found it surprisingly easy to ignore the movie with her Jacob next to her. There had never been a more welcome distraction. The distraction intensified with a sudden shift from Jake's hand. He was still holding her hand innocently in her lap, or so it appeared, but his bottom two fingers slipped down to slyly rest between Bella's legs about halfway up her thighs. It was innocent enough, but it was just enough to make her squirm and want more. She glanced in Jacob's direction and he waggled his eyebrows at her. Yep, teenage boy, she thought. _My_ teenage boy, she amended.

Then Jacob started slowly sliding their clasped hands higher, stopping about an inch from the obvious destination. He swept the devious fingers back and forth, though never moving the hand itself and never going any higher. God, he was driving her crazy. Her body was screaming for him to close the gap and go the extra inch, but her brain was screaming "You're in a movie theatre!" She vowed to stop him if he moved any closer, but he never did. Her inner teenage girl silently begged for more.

From what she could tell, the rest of the movie was just as bad as the beginning, though she couldn't be too sure. Bella took the look on Angela's face at the end to be a confirmation of her suspicion.

"Mike and Tyler are NOT allowed to choose movies from now on," Bella whispered to Angela as they filed out of the row.

"Agreed," Angela giggled.

Back in the lobby, Mike and Tyler started hooting over how hilarious the movie had been and quoting their favorite parts.

"You know how I know you're gay?" Tyler shoved Mike lightly on the shoulder. "You spent 20 minutes styling your hair so that it has that hot 'I look this good when I roll out of bed' look." Tyler guffawed at his own joke.

Bella failed to suppress a giggle when she looked at Mike's hair and realized it looked like a cheap imitation of Edward's preferred hair style. She wondered if he would dye it black now that she was with Jacob.

"Dude, you know how I know you're gay?" Mike shot back at Tyler. "You just called me hot."

Tyler looked a little horrified when he realized he really had used that word. He made a gagging motion with his finger, "Stand back, I may need a garbage can," he joked. "Oh my god, and that scene where the chick puked in the car! That was awesome!"

"I can't believe you guys liked that!" Bella intervened. "I felt like I needed an adult. I think I'll die happy if the only boobs I see for the rest of my life are my own."

Jacob couldn't resist. He leaned closer to Bella and said, "Funny, I could have said the same thing." Bella smiled, thankful that no one else heard.

"Yeah, I could have lived without some of that stuff," Angela confessed.

"I thought it was kind of funny," Jessica said, rubbing Mike's arm. Mike took the hint and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"See, Jess here's got taste," he said, pulling her closer to his side. She beamed.

"Hey, Jacob and Ben haven't weighed in. What did you guys think?" Mike prompted.

Jacob shrugged. "It was okay. I thought it was funny."

"Yeah, it was funny," Ben agreed.

"It's unanimous then," Mike announced. "The movie was awesome."

They finally left and headed back to the car, with Bella and Jessica crammed in the back again. As soon as the engine started and effectively cut off their ability to be overheard, Jessica started in with the questions.

"Where did you and Jacob sneak off to?" Jessica pried with a raised eyebrow. She wasn't going to let Bella off the hook easily.

"I had to go to the bathroom and he just sort of followed me out. He scared me to death sneaking up behind me!" said Bella.

"Yeah, but what happened?" Jessica pressed.

"Oh, uh, not much. He kissed me and I told him we should go back in before you guys got too suspicious."

"Too late," Jessica teased, but seemed satisfied.

"How were you and Mike? I couldn't really see you guys at all," Bella changed the subject.

"We were good. He had his arm around me the whole time. He kept bringing his hand lower and lower, and finally near the end he touched my chest," Jessica bragged, looking down at her prized possessions.

Bella didn't know what to say. She settled for "That sounds like Mike."

"How far have you and Jacob gone? I was thinking about taking things to the next level with Mike," said Jessica.

Oh, yuck. Bella didn't want to know what exactly the next level meant for Mike and Jessica.

"Not too far, you know, mostly kissing and stuff," Bella wanted to be anywhere but here answering these questions, and she wasn't about to give Jessica any real details.

"Hey, what's with the whispering back there?" Mike shouted from the front.

Bella had never been more thankful to hear Mike's voice.

"Nothing!" Bella and Jessica chimed together.

Jessica gave Bella a look that clearly said this conversation would be had later, not forgotten about.

Back at Newton's, Bella gave in to an awkward hug from Jessica and waved goodbye to everyone else.

"Thanks for the ride!"

"No problem! We'll have to do it again sometime," Mike smiled.

Jacob took Bella's hand and led her back to the truck, thankful to be alone with her again. They got in the cab, but Jacob didn't attempt to start the engine.

"Jake, what are you doing?" Bella asked.

"Waiting," he grinned in response as Mike's Suburban drove out of sight.

"I can't exactly drive and—" Bella cut him off by pressing her lips to his. "—do this," he finished when Bella pulled back.

"I love you so much, Bells."

"I love you too, Jake. I don't want you to go."

"Me neither, Bella. It's part of the imprint. We're going to have to see a lot of each other or else it will start to get physically uncomfortable. I feel it when I wake up after not seeing you all night."

"Is that what it is? I feel it too. It's like this pressure is relieved when I'm near you again."

"Exactly," Jacob agreed.

"Then we'll just have to figure something out so we're together more," Bella suggested.

"I can come in through your window when Charlie is asleep," Jacob proposed. He didn't want to deal with the consequences of the police chief catching him in bed with his daughter, but the idea of being in bed with Bella again was too tempting. The benefits outweighed the consequences.

"Can you do it without getting caught?" Bella asked.

"Yeah, of course."

"Well then what are you waiting for? Step on it!" Bella joked. Okay, she was _mostly_ joking.

"Your wish is my command," Jacob took her hand and kissed it in an awkward, steering wheel-cramped bow.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Back at her house, Bella waited impatiently as Jacob drove his car home to avoid being caught. She had arrived only to find that Charlie had already gone to bed, an action that was very unlike his naturally worried nature. There was only one explanation: he was growing soft for Jacob. It was only 9:30, but if she had been out with anyone else, Charlie would have been sitting in his chair awaiting her arrival. It was almost unsettling the way Charlie trusted Jacob, but Bella was glad that she didn't have to worry about being watched constantly anymore. Being with Jacob seemed to have innumerable benefits, just further proof to solidify the fact that they belonged together.

Bella took a quick shower before scoffing at her poor clothing options. She wondered sarcastically which worn-out t-shirt Jacob would prefer and made a mental note to go shopping for better pajamas before resigning herself to a basic t-shirt and shorts. She normally wore sweatpants, but she wouldn't need the extra heat with Jacob around.

She needed to do something to distract herself while she waited. First, she got up and locked the door. She paced for a little bit, then picked up a Jane Austen novel. Three pages in, she realized she didn't even know which one it was. She tried listening to music, but she kept impatiently switching the song. Finally, she resigned herself to checking her email. No doubt Renee would have sent her something, at least.

She pressed the power button on her ancient desktop before realizing this was just another thing she would have to wait on. Why was she so nervous? It was just Jacob. She was acting as though she had signed some contract to lose her virginity tonight. Just because they were going to be alone in her bedroom didn't mean that was going to happen. They could be together without being, well, _together_.

Just as the screen began to show signs of life, she heard a low thud, and her heart raced in anticipation. She scrambled up from her chair to greet Jake, who had just successfully infiltrated her room.

Bella wrapped her arms around him. "Mmm, I've missed you," she almost purred into his bare chest. Dating a werewolf definitely had its advantages in the clothing department, or lack thereof.

Just feeling the vibrations of her voice against his body sent a tingling feeling down his spine. Now that he was here, what was going to happen? He was nervous and excited and entirely unsure of what to do next. He wanted to take things slow and be a gentleman with Bella, and that's exactly what he intended to do—when he wasn't with her. But then he was here, and she was here, and he wanted her. More of her. _All_ of her. Hell, he needed to get a grip and calm down. He had barely said hello to the girl and he was already having to rein himself in.

"Me too, Bells." He surprised her by scooping her up and carrying her to the bed. He laid her down and sat beside her before leaning in for a kiss. The way Prince Charming kissed Sleeping Beauty, she thought. Only in fairytales, dads were never sleeping in the next room. Of course, fairytales never went past first base, either.

She slid over to make room for more of Jacob to join her, and the bed creaked loudly in protest at his weight. Jacob quickly realized that they could never go all the way here, not with Charlie in the next room. There was no way he wouldn't hear them. He wondered for a brief moment if Charlie had furnished the room with a squeaky bed on purpose, then realized how ludicrous the idea really was.

They lay together, side by side in awkward silence for a moment. There was just too much sexual tension in the room; neither one knew what the other wanted to do or where the lines were drawn, and both were completely inexperienced.

Bella rested her head against his chest and began to trace the lines of his muscles lazily with her index finger.

"I could lay like this forever," she whispered.

"I don't know if I could last that long," he joked.

As Bella's finger traced the lines to the lower half of his abdomen, Jacob felt himself rise beneath the thin shorts. Bella saw, then looked wordlessly back up at him. He couldn't read her expression; he didn't know what she wanted. This was nothing like the movies where everything happened naturally and effortlessly. Everything was painfully real, and Jacob was frustrated when he realized he didn't know what the hell he was doing.

He made a move to cover himself with his hand, clearly embarrassed. "Bella, I'm sorry, I—"

She cut him off by taking his hand—the hand he had hidden behind—in hers.

"Jake, why are you apologizing?" She asked carefully.

"I don't know, I thought maybe you didn't want to…" Jacob had never felt this way with anyone but Bella. Around everyone else, he was cool, calm, and confident. With Bella, he let go of the façade. He was vulnerable, nervous, and somehow a little more human. She gave him butterflies.

"I want to...too," she said, drawing out the implied silence just as he had. She guided his hand to her waist and let it go, then shifted her body up in the bed so she could kiss him.

As their tongues met, he let his hands wander over her body, becoming acquainted with the smooth curve of her waist, the small of her back, and the roundness just below.

She leaned closer, wanting more, and Jacob wordlessly gripped her hips in both hands and lifted her onto his lap. She let out a surprised squeal, the same one he had heard over and over on the rollercoasters. He shied away from that train of thought before any crude jokes involving the word "ride" were able to slip out.

"Shhh!" Jacob laughed, putting a finger to his lips. "I think Chief Swan's impression of me would be severely impaired if he were to walk in right now."

Bella's nerves were slowly being replaced with desire. She was getting aroused just from the physical position of straddling his lap. She felt his fingers against her bare abdomen as his hands slipped up her shirt. As she had done to him, he traced his fingers slowly up her stomach until he reached her bra, then cupped her breast in his hand through the fabric. She reached down and pulled the shirt over her head to give him better access, and suddenly she could feel his hardness pressing up between her legs. Once again, the only thing separating them was a few thin layers of cloth. As if he was perfectly in tune with her thoughts, she felt Jacob press his hips forward ever so slightly, teasing her.

"Oh my god," she moaned before she could stop herself. This was absolutely not going to work with Charlie home. The poor man would be horrified to wake up to Bella's screams of pleasure. She had no idea how vocal she would really be when the time came, but this was not the time or place to find out.

Holding herself in place with her knees pressed firmly on either side of Jacob's hips, she lowered her upper body flat against his chest and whispered, "Do you think you can keep quiet?"

He wasn't sure what she was suggesting, or if she was just teasing.

"I don't know. Better than you can," he teased as she sat up, but he pulled her hand to his mouth and kissed the back gently.

She pulled her hand from his and lifted her index finger to her lips, "Shh!" she warned, and winked at him.

Jacob had never seen this side of Bella before, but he hoped to God he could become acquainted with it, get to know it a little, perhaps become friends over time. His mind jolted back to the present and he laid still and watched with wide eyes as she slowly slid back, down his legs, over his knees, and stopped when she was straddling the tops of his shins. It was an awkward perspective. His erection had grown painfully obvious, especially when the absence of Bella's body left it more exposed. It was actually partially obstructing his view of Bella at the moment.

Bella slid her hands up his thighs, a little unsure of herself, but wanting to give him something in return for everything he had done for her. That was the noble explanation, anyway. The other part of the explanation was that she couldn't wait to get her hands on him without any obstructions. She wanted this as much as he did. The way he was looking at her boosted her confidence and she brought her hands to the waistband of his shorts.

She was dragging it out, making the inevitable painfully slow. Jacob wanted her so badly that he was almost sure it would be over as soon as she touched him. He _needed_ her to touch him. She slid one finger beneath the waistband of his shorts, lightly brushing the sensitive skin just beneath the elastic. An involuntary whimper escaped his throat, and he was suddenly unsure if he could keep his promise to be quiet.

In a rush of confidence and desire, Bella began to tug on the waistband of his shorts, knowing that he was completely bare beneath them. As she inched them down, he raised his hips slightly to help her slide them off. Suddenly, there he was. All of him. She had never seen a naked man before, but here was Jacob Black, naked in her bed. He was stunning. She had no basis of comparison, but she was more certain than ever that the man lying in the bed before her was perfect. She felt herself blush a little as she realized how large he was.

The sight of Bella Swan looking down at his naked body with that pink flush to her cheeks was a sight he never wanted to forget.

"Bells, are you okay?" he whispered, craning his neck to get a better look at her.

"You're beautiful," she said.

Jacob couldn't have stopped the smug grin from creeping up his face if he tried. He suppressed the urge to laugh as he recalled the first time she had ever called him beautiful and the fact that she had a head injury at the time. He didn't know much, but he knew not to ruin the mood by saying that out loud.

As she finally wrapped her hand around him, every muscle in his body seemed to clench and tighten in ecstasy at once, yet he managed to keep himself together and hold out a little longer.

When she brought her tongue to the tip, he took it as a blessing from heaven itself that he was able to hold on. She licked all the way down his shaft and back up again, and he pressed his fist against his mouth to keep himself from crying out at the sensation.

She definitely seemed to be doing something right, based on his reactions, but she was still nervous and unsure. She had never even come close to doing anything like this before, and while she knew the basic outline, she didn't _really_ know what to do.

She cautiously brought her hand back in place. "Um, Jacob?"

"Yeah?" his voice cracked a little.

"Never have I ever…I mean…" She was definitely bright red, and she knew it.

He silently brought his hand down on top of hers and helped her find the right rhythm and pressure. After a few strokes, he let go and let Bella take over completely. Within seconds, he felt her add her mouth, and he knew it was almost over.

"Bells…" he breathed heavily. "I'm…almost…if you—" but that was as far as he got as his body convulsed and he felt his release. Too late for the awkward spit/swallow conversation.

It was so amazing he wanted to laugh and cry all at once. He had never felt anything like it before. Of course he was a teenage boy and had practiced a few times—okay, maybe more than a few times—but with Bella—there were no words to describe how amazing it felt. He knew it wasn't the technique or the skill, though those had been fine; it was the feeling of being with the one he was meant to be with for the rest of his life. He hoped that the rest of the population without imprints were capable of feeling this way too, but somehow he doubted it.

Bella crawled back up in the bed and rested her head against his chest once more.

"Bella, that was absolutely amazing!"

"Really? Are you sure?" She asked, a little unsure of herself.

"YES. It was perfect," he told her honestly.

Bella blushed again. She wanted to feel his body under hers again, but it would have to wait. She didn't want to be worried about anything when it finally happened, and Charlie was still there lurking in the back of her mind.

Jacob still couldn't quite believe what had just happened, but he knew he wanted to make Bella just as happy. He wanted to return the favor. He moved his hand from where it had been resting innocently against her hip and trailed it closer to her inner thigh. His hand hit cloth and he realized Bella was still wearing shorts. WHY was this beautiful creature still clothed? He slowly slid his hand beneath the shorts and rubbed the soft silk of her panties before sliding his hand beneath those as well.

She gasped out loud when his hand came in contact with her bare skin for the first time. The slow circles he was forming caused moans to involuntarily escape her throat. Whoah? What was she doing? She had no idea that she would react so—vocally. She felt his finger slide inside her, and it took all of her willpower not to shout.

"Jacob," she panted, not wanting to stop, but allowing her brain to control her body for a moment rather than the other way around.

"Hmm?"  
"I can't, we can't, not here—" she let the sentence trail off, not entirely knowing how to tell him that Charlie would definitely come running if she was screaming Jacob's name. She didn't need Alice's visions to know what would happen if things kept going the way they were going.

"What do you mean?" Jacob looked bewildered, but reluctantly removed his hand and placed it on her stomach. Had she not just given him the best blow job in blow job history in this very same location?

Bella blushed violently, which seemed strange. What could she possibly be embarrassed about at a time like this?

"I'm just worried that, you know, given my previous reactions…" she paused to figure out how to word it. "It might get a little too loud. _I_ might get a little too loud," she clarified. "Charlie might hear."

Jacob smirked. No way was he going to let this one go. "Why, Bella Swan! I never pictured you as a screamer."

"Shut up!" she playfully shouted a little too loud. Her unexpected volume brought them both back to reality, and they sat wide-eyed and silent listening out for Charlie.

They both stared at the door as though looking in Charlie's direction would somehow enhance their hearing.

"He's awake," Jacob whispered. "I just heard him get out of bed."

"You should probably go," Bella said with a frown.

"You were right, you know," he whispered into her ear.

"About what?"

"Your screaming _did_ wake Charlie." He grinned, quickly kissing her forehead and silently slipping from the window before she could respond.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

The next morning, Bella woke from a dreamless night already feeling the pull of the imprint at Jacob's absence. If it was going to feel this way every day, she was going to have to come up with a good reason to move out of Charlie's house and into Jacob's cramped room. What could explain her sudden need to move in with her 16-year-old werewolf lover without actually revealing his status as her 16-year-old werewolf lover? God, it sounded like a cross between a Jerry Springer episode and a trashy MTV series.

When she went downstairs for breakfast, she cringed as she surveyed the disaster area that was the Swan residence. Lately since she was spending so much time with Jacob, her usually stringent cleaning habits had been a bit slack. She noted her full laundry hamper and traces of muddy footprints on the kitchen linoleum. It was practically unlivable. She REALLY needed to spend some time doing chores before she went to see Jacob.

While she was eating her cereal, the phone rang. She picked up on the second ring already knowing who it would be.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Bells! When are you coming over?" Jacob asked impatiently. Bella had slept in longer than usual after last night's activities.

"Actually, I really need to get some chores done around here first. I'll do them as fast as I can and come over in a few hours?" Her voice involuntarily transformed the statement into a question as she was suddenly unsure that she could last a few hours without him. The pull felt oddly stronger than usual this morning.

"I could come over and help you," Jacob offered. Bella knew she wouldn't get much done with him around.

"Give me one hour," she compromised. That would give her enough time to at least get the essentials done before he arrived.

"Okay, Bells, one hour. I'll see you then."

"Bye, Jake."

She quickly finished her cereal and washed the bowl before running upstairs to start a load of laundry. It took her longer than usual to sort through everything, and she quickly realized she had more than the usual two loads. She sighed, knowing this was going to take even longer than she had thought. At least Jake was coming over instead of her going to La Push; it wouldn't be too hard to get up and switch the loads over a few times while they watched a movie or played a game. With the first load started, she hurried downstairs to mop the kitchen, wincing a little as she left the mounds of dirty clothes spread out on her normally spotless floor.

Bella had just dug the mop out from behind a few tangled old fishing poles in the hall closet and was filling the bucket with water when she heard a car pull up in the driveway. Of course Jake couldn't wait the full hour. She should have been annoyed, but really she just wanted to see him. Now.

She ran to the door, already planning to feign anger at his early arrival. Putting on her best attempt at a scolding face (which was pretty weak under the circumstances), she opened the door to greet him.

"Jake you know better—" her words stuck in her throat.

"Hi, Bella," said Alice Cullen.

Before she knew what she was doing, Bella flung her arms around Alice, suddenly overwhelmed with joy at seeing her friend. Now that Alice was standing here in front of her, Bella realized just how much she had missed her. She had done everything she could to block the Cullen's from her memory, and it just now hit her how effective she had been, especially after the imprint. She blushed, feeling shame at having forgotten her best friend so quickly.

Alice suddenly jerked and pulled back to reveal a panicked look. "Bella, is everything alright? Has someone been here?" She craned her marble neck over Bella's shoulder as if searching for something. Without explanation, she gently shoved Bella out of the way and entered the house, clearly looking for something.

Bella had no idea what was going on. Why was Alice here and why was she suddenly so upset? She had looked fine before the hug. Bella wondered for a moment if maybe the hug had been too much, but then Alice _had _hugged her back, and that wouldn't explain Alice's sudden need to search the house.

"Alice, what's the matter? No one else is here. I'm fine," Bella reassured her.

Alice quickly looked from Bella to the staircase and back in deep contemplation. "Stay here," she demanded.

One second, Alice was sprinting up the stairs faster than Bella's eyes could follow, and the next, Bella was being set down in the middle of the forest. She had forgotten just how fast the Cullen's could move. She had no idea where Alice had taken her or why.

"What's wrong?" Bella choked out. She was starting to panic a little herself. Alice was always calm and reasonable. If she was acting this way, then something was seriously wrong.

"Someone has been in your house, and the scent is strongest in your room," Alice explained. "You didn't hear or see anything?"

Bella turned almost as white as Alice. She understood. The only "someone" capable of spooking Alice like this had to be another vampire.

"No," she gasped. "I was upstairs maybe fifteen minutes ago. I didn't hear or see anyone. What did you find?"

"The scent started at the window. It looks like whoever did this was going through your dirty clothes. They were scattered everywhere, and the scent was all over them."

"I scattered them. I was doing laundry." This didn't make any sense. Had a vampire rifled through her clothing while she had breakfast or when she went to mop the floor? But why would anyone want to go through her dirty clothes?

"The scent was even stronger on your bed, Bella. And there was a hint of…bodily fluids as well. I don't understand what this pervert is up to." Alice furrowed her brows out of habit rather than necessity.

Bella sank to the ground. A vampire had been in her house, in her bed, while she had been home alone. She felt herself begin to hyperventilate.

"Bella, you're safe now. I won't let anything hurt you," Alice sat next to her and patted her back.

"Wait, Alice, did you say 'bodily fluids'?" Bella asked.

"Yes, Bella. Maybe I should have kept that detail to myself; I know it's a vile thing to think about. Of course we'll get you a new bed." Alice's voice was calm and melodic as she tried to comfort Bella.

"No, I mean, I thought vampires didn't have, you know, 'bodily fluids'," Bella asked. Something wasn't adding up.

"Vampires? It wasn't a vampire, Bella." Alice paused, contemplating the release of some vital bit of information. "It was something worse."

Bella hugged her knees to herself, and Alice wrapped her arms around her. What could possibly be worse than having a vampire lurking around her bedroom?

Alice paused for a moment before continuing as if debating something within. Her face gave nothing away.

"I might as well tell you. This might come as a shock, Bella, but we're not the only supernatural creatures out there. This was a werewolf," Alice announced in a serious voice.

Bella looked up and let the words sink in. When she processed their significance, she began giggling furiously, all the pent-up terror escaping through her frenzied laughs.

"Oh, thank God!" Bella exclaimed through the laughter. She stood up and began walking back towards her house before realizing she had no idea which direction to go. She could be fifty feet into the woods behind her house or just as easily 50 miles away.

Alice jumped up and grabbed her wrist.

"Bella, sit back down. What's the matter with you?" She looked at Bella like she had lost her mind.

"Alice, relax, it's just Jacob. We can go back now." Bella smiled, clearly over the trauma.

"Jacob? The name you mistakenly called me at the door?" Alice narrowed her eyes. "Explain. Now."

"It's a _really_ long story. The short version is my best friend is a werewolf," she said matter-of-factly.

Alice's eyes went wide. "Bella! Do you have any idea how dangerous werewolves are?" She paused again to think over the situation. "Wait—the window, the clothes, _the bed_…Bella, you didn't…"

"Didn't what?"

"Have sex with a werewolf!" She whispered it as though the words were as dangerous as the meaning they carried.

"No, Alice!" Bella denied. "Not technically."

"Technicalities are hardly important when you've got a horny werewolf in your bed, Bella!" Alice looked furious. Up until now, the strongest negative emotion Bella had ever seen Alice Cullen portray was annoyance. She couldn't stand the way Alice was looking at her.

"Alice, look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you or betray you," Bella started.

"Bella, this is NOT about betrayal, it's about your safety," she corrected. Then more to herself, "I _told _him! I _told_ him leaving wouldn't solve anything."

Bella wasn't sure how the Cullen's absence had anything to do with her safety, but that wasn't the point.

"Alice, Jacob would never hurt me. When you all left, I was broken. I was in so much pain, and I moped around for months just wanting to die. I was a danger to myself. Jacob fixed me; he made me whole again. If it weren't for Jacob, I probably wouldn't be here right now." Bella needed Alice to understand. She needed her blessing.

"You love him," Alice stated rather than asked. She looked at the revelation with a mixture of sadness and pity.

"I do," Bella agreed with a smile.

She took Alice's hand in her own. "It was fate, Alice. This was meant to happen. I loved Edward, I did. But this is different."

Alice pulled Bella in for a hug and kissed her cheek. "This is complicated, but I'm glad you're happy, Bella. I really am. You deserve it."

"Tell me how it happened," Alice prompted.

The two friends were sitting cross-legged on the forest floor, dishing about the imprint process, when the sound of growling wolves cut through the happy reunion. 


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

The four huge wolves formed a square around them. Alice instinctively jumped into a defensive crouch in front of Bella as the wolves began to close in.

"Wait! No!" Bella shouted at no one in particular. She hopped up and linked her arm in Alice's, ignoring Alice's confused look.

"Jake! Sam! Alice is my friend. We're fine!" She turned to Alice. "Alice, they're my friends; they won't hurt me, I swear!"

Alice said nothing, but remained on alert. The pack wasn't giving in so easily. The russet wolf's growls grew louder, and he inched closer to Alice.

"Jake, NO! Stop!" He continued to bare his teeth in a low growl, but he hesitantly stopped moving forward at Bella's command.

Bella was frantic. She had to do something to make them understand or she was about to watch the people she loved the most fight each other. It was strange being in the position of power for once amidst these creatures of fantasy.

"Listen, everyone! I'm fine. There was a big misunderstanding. Alice smelled Jake's scent in my room before I could tell her about him, and she thought I was in danger so she took me away from the house. She was trying to _protect_ me, just like you guys are doing right now."

The growling lessened, but no one moved.

"Look, Alice will take me back home, and we'll explain everything. Meet us back at my house," she begged. "In _human_ form," she added. There was no use reasoning when they couldn't talk back, and they would be less of a threat when they didn't have superhuman strength and fangs at their immediate disposal.

The russet wolf looked at the others. There was obviously a heated mental conversation going on. With a nod to the wolf on his left, he dropped the defensive stance and slowly took a step towards Bella. He bent his head and jerked it behind him as if trying to tell her something.

"No, Jake, I'm sorry, but I won't ride back with you. I'm not leaving Alice alone before I'm sure that no one will try to hurt her."

He cautiously walked up to Bella and pressed his nose against her hand with a whine like a hurt puppy.

This was the first time she had touched him as a wolf. His fur was thick and bristly against her hand. She stroked the top of his head lightly. "I'm sorry, Jake. I can't. I won't."

The russet wolf looked back at the others again. There was another moment of heated silence before he reluctantly ran into the forest and disappeared. The other three didn't move.

"What's going on?" Alice asked.

"I'm not sure," Bella confessed. The wolves didn't seem to be backing down, but Jake never would have left if he thought Bella was in danger. She wasn't sure what to make of it.

Seconds later, a human voice rang through the woods.

"Bella?" Jacob came running from behind a nearby tree wearing a pair of cutoff sweatpants. As tense as the whole situation was, she took a brief moment to be disappointed that he had remembered the shorts.

"Jake? Is everything alright?"

"I'm going to walk back with you and that…and Alice." God, was he going to have to start thinking of these things as people with names now? "That's the only way we're letting you leave with her."

"Can you both behave?" Bella asked, but her eyes only bored into Jacob's.

"Yes," he answered through gritted teeth. He put his arm around Bella's waist and pulled her to him possessively, putting his body between her and the leach. He wasn't taking any chances; he knew all it took was one bite to ruin everything.

"Sure, Bella," Alice said lightly, looking offended at Jacob's move.

"We'll see you back at the house," Jacob called to the pack. They took off immediately.

"Bella, tell me what happened," Jacob asked as they walked.

"It's like I already said, Jake. Alice caught your scent when I opened the door, and she flipped out because she thought someone was sneaking around or trying to hurt me or something."

"I was afraid for her safety, Jacob. I would never hurt her; you have my word. I smelled your scent in her bedroom, then did what I thought was best. I removed her from the situation," Alice explained.

Jacob glared but didn't respond. Her word didn't count for shit.

"Alice, didn't you see this happening?" Bella realized part of what was strange about the whole situation was how Alice had seemed so caught off-guard. Alice always knew what was going on.

"No, I had no idea. It seems that my vision is useless when it involves werewolves. Not long after we left, I stopped being able to see you, Bella. I thought it was because we were so far apart, but now I wonder if it wasn't something else entirely. Actually, I can't see much of anything right now either. I've never felt anything like it before. It's almost…soothing," she said, looking up at Jacob.

Great, Jacob thought. Nothing better than bonding time with the walking blood bank. It must want donations.

"So if you didn't see this, then why are you here?" Bella questioned.

"I had a vision, and I came to warn you. Victoria's coming back."

Bella stopped dead in her tracks. Of course Victoria wouldn't let James go so easily. Victoria wanted revenge, and that revenge would come in the form of taking Bella's life. Stopping dead in her tracks didn't seem so far from reality given the situation.

"What? Who's Victoria?" asked Jacob. He was starting to feel like a third wheel with his own girlfriend, and he didn't like it at all. He'd chew off his own leg before he ever took the backseat to a bloodsucker in Bella's life ever again.

"There's a lot I never told you, Jake. Before there was an 'us,' I was too broken to talk about it. After, it didn't seem to matter anymore." She pulled at Jacob's hand and started walking again. The pack would be upset and worry if they didn't show up soon.

Oh God. What was Bella talking about? What had happened to her to make her look so afraid?

"Remember when I came back from spring break with all of those injuries from falling down the stairs?"

Jacob nodded.

"I didn't fall down the stairs. I was stalked by a vampire named James and tricked into going to him. Edward saved me just in time and then destroyed him. Victoria was his mate." Bella gave him the very shortened version, purposefully leaving out the part where she went to James willingly and the part where he bit her. These were things better left for a private conversation later when Jacob was calmer.

"A vampire did those things to you?" He didn't shout, but he didn't have to. His anger was clear as his body began to tremble. "I almost wish he were still around so I could shred him myself," he muttered. He clutched at Bella's hand and stroked the skin on the back with his thumb. He had no idea how close he had been to losing her forever. The thought of that possibility stabbed at his insides, even if the threat was gone now. But it wasn't. The bloodsucker's mate was back, and she wanted Bella.

"We won't let anything happen to you, Bella. I'll stay with you 24/7. We'll find her, and we'll get rid of her," he said confidently. The whole pack against one vampire would be a piece of cake. It might even be fun to bring death to the one who wanted his Bella.

"It's not going to be that simple, Jacob," Alice cut in. "We all came back hoping to stop Victoria and protect Bella. It should have been pretty easy work with all of us against one. But when we got here, we saw the news about the string of disappearances and murders in Seattle and started doing some digging on the stories. They're too sloppy, too random to be the work of a serial killer. It looks like newborn vampires."

Bella gasped. "You think Victoria has something to do with them?"

"We're not positive, but yes. In the vision, Victoria was sniffing a piece of cloth and handing it to another male that I didn't recognize. It didn't make a lot of sense at the time, but after seeing the news and talking it over with the others…we think Victoria has an army. It can't be a coincidence."

"The cloth belonged to me, didn't it Alice." Bella's voice sounded small and defeated. She knew the answer before Alice reluctantly nodded.

"FUCK!" Jacob shouted. He wrapped his arms all the way around Bella and held her tightly. "No! They can't have her. They can't!"

Bella took the news stoically; she was still in too much shock to betray any emotions.

"We came back to help Bella, and we intend to do that. Jacob, am I correct in assuming that your pack would protect Bella at all costs?"

"Yes," he growled.

"No!" Bella shouted in protest. "Alice, I know what you're suggesting, and I won't let it happen. This is putting every person I've ever loved in danger!"

"Bella, it might be the only way."

"Let me get this straight. You're suggesting that my pack work together with your clan to take out these filthy bloodsuckers?" Jacob summarized. He added this to the growing list of things he'd rather chew his own leg off before doing. But since watching Bella die would never have a place on the list, he would suck it up and make sure she survived at all costs, even if that meant sacrificing his dignity and morals.

"That's right."

"Can we take them?" he asked.

"It's our best chance," said Alice.

"Then we'll do it," Jacob answered with a final nod.

He didn't know how the hell his life had led him to this moment. Just a year ago, he was a normal kid lusting after video game consoles and cars. Now it was as though his wildest dreams and darkest nightmares had all come true. He was a werewolf with a permanent bond to the most beautiful girl in the world, and he was about to team up with his mortal enemies, one of which just happened to be the ex boyfriend from hell, and all of which just happened to be vampires. Stephen King couldn't make this shit up.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

The unlikely trio finally arrived back at Bella's house to find three angry, huge guys milling around the door.

"What the hell took you so long?" Sam spat out. He was pacing, and all of his visible muscles (which were most of them since he was clad in gym shorts) were tensed. The separation of his neck and shoulders was hardly discernable beneath the mass of taut muscle.

"Human here, sorry," Bella took the blame before anyone else could. If she had just been with Alice, or just been with Jacob, one of them could have carried her and been there much quicker.

"We should probably go inside. Come on in." Bella decided the danger of the situation would only be amplified if it were made into a public affair in the yard for all to see. Four huge half naked men yelling at two small females might draw the wrong kind of attention.

She led the way into what became a very cramped living room. The space hadn't been designed for six people to begin with; it didn't help matters that four of them were at least 6'3" and 200 pounds of muscle. Sam, Paul, and Embry squeezed themselves uncomfortably onto the couch, Jacob took Charlie's recliner, and Alice remained standing against the far wall, which really wasn't far enough for any of their liking. Bella hovered uncertainly between Jacob and Alice, unwilling to take sides.

Jacob spoke first. "Under the circumstances, I'm going to skip to the important part." He knew they could pick the specifics from his brain later anyway.

"First, she says she's here to help Bella," Jacob gestured at Alice rather than use her name.

"Second, there's a bloodsucker coming after Bella, and she's bringing the army from hell with her."

"What do you mean, 'army'? What are we looking at?" Sam asked.

Alice cut in. "The recent deaths and disappearances around Washington aren't random; we think they're the work of an army of newborn vampires." She barely paused to let this information sink in as Sam, Embry, and Paul exchanged horrified looks.

"Newborn vampires are highly dangerous. What they lack in experience they make up for with speed and strength. We are at our strongest within the first few months of life. They will be extremely powerful, and most importantly, completely driven by their need to feed. They are essentially everything you hate about vampires, but without the ability to control themselves as we can."

"How many? When?" Sam asked, shoving aside the obvious question of "why?" in favor or more important things. He had already pulled an essential piece of information from his memory to answer the "how?", something he had pulled from Bella's lips through the medium of Jacob's brain months ago: this was the psychic leech.

"There's no way to know an exact number. Judging by the news from the past couple of months, there must be at least a few dozen," Alice explained. "They're still undecided about when, though it must be getting close."  
"We will be on constant watch, then, and Bella will never be left alone," Sam decided. "We will be ready when they come."

"You don't understand. They'll crush you. You have no idea how dangerous the newborns are. You'll need help." Alice left the vague suggestion hanging in the air.

"Oh hell no!" Paul shouted and jumped up in protest.

Bella stood by silently, hating the fact that she had nothing to contribute to the conversation or the action. She couldn't let so many people risk their lives for her own, but she couldn't see another way out, either.

"What are our chances if we decline?" Sam asked rationally.

"You will all be killed, Bella included."

Jacob involuntarily reached his arm out from the chair and pulled Bella into his lap at the thought. This time, she let him.

"I don't like it, but it's our best shot, Sam," said Jacob. He would do anything to keep Bella safe, even if it meant tolerating his natural enemies. Just long enough to keep her alive, he told himself.

"I'll go home and discuss this with my family. We could arrange a time for Carlisle and your leader to meet," Alice suggested, gesturing towards Sam. "Then you can decide."

"We will meet under the condition that the entire pack be present," Sam compromised.

"I'm sure that can be arranged. I need to return to my family now and explain everything. I will call Bella with a time and place to meet, if that is agreeable?" Alice asked.

"We will meet at the clearing intersected by the boundary lines," Sam added. He had to maintain some amount of control over the situation. "You name the time."

"I will get back to you as soon as possible," Alice promised. She gave Bella's hand a squeeze, then hurried out the door.

"Damn it, Sam! Do we have to?" Paul whined.

"You got any better ideas?"said Embry, finally breaking his silence for the first time.

"I hate that he's right, but he is," Sam admitted. "If there is any other way, now is the time to speak up."

No one spoke.

"Right, that's what I was afraid of. Right now, we've got to get back to the res and alert everyone else. Jacob, you better bring Bella." Alpha Sam took over, and there were nods of agreement and compliance all around.

"Meet back at my place as soon as you can," Sam ordered. "Jacob, Bella, we'll arrive first since you'll be driving. We will fill everyone in and wait for you."

Without another word, everyone headed for the door. Outside, Sam, Paul, and Embry sprinted for the cover of the forest and disappeared as Jacob ushered Bella into the Rabbit.

Bella felt like her heart was breaking all over again, only this time, she had everything and everyone to lose.

The silence was thick with unsaid things inside the car. Years of small talk told Jacob that he should ask Bella if she was okay. Common sense told him otherwise. He was feeling physical pain in the pit of his stomach at the recent turn of events; he had finally gotten his happy ending only to have this clusterfuck of a mess happen. He would do everything in his power to hold onto his world, his Bella. But would it be enough? What if they didn't make it? It was a grim thought, but it edged its way into his mind. _At least you won her over before it was too late. _Dying would be unpleasant, but dying without Bella would be inexcusable. His life had already peaked. He didn't want to give it up, but at least it had reached a climax. His words back in the hotel swam to the forefront of his memory: _"You called me your soul mate and referenced seeing me naked in the same sentence; I think I'll die happy now." _A tear stole down his cheek as he replayed her response: _"Me too."_ He swiped at the tear angrily. Bella Swan would NOT die, happy or otherwise.

Bella noticed the sudden movement and recognized it for what it was. She knew enough not to ask if everything was okay. _Nothing _was okay. No words could make this better. Silently, she reached for his hand and squeezed it as hard as she could.

Jacob turned and gave her a weak smile. It was just like her to be comforting him when it was her life that was in danger.

"I love you, Bells."

"I love you too, Jake."

They drove on in silence.

The silence was broken the moment they stepped onto Sam and Emily's porch. Leah's voice carried out of the door.

"—not really going to do this, are we?"

They stepped into the verbal battle hand in hand. No one paid attention to their arrival.

"We have to," Seth argued.

"Despite the way this conversation is going, this isn't up for debate," Sam growled from the center of the room. "I hate this just as much as any one of you; do you think I _want_ to work with those mosquitoes? Nothing has been decided yet. We will meet and discuss things—from a safe distance. We will decide on a course of action after the meeting."

"I don't like it," said Paul.

"Get over it. It's not like I'm giving your pansy hands away in marriage to them. It's _just_ a meeting," Sam reprimanded.

"So it's more like a first date, then." Quil rolled his eyes. "But whatever will I wear?" he questioned in a high-pitched voice as he batted his lashes.

"Fur, smartass." Sam closed the distance between the sofa and the armchair with his long leg and kicked Quil in the shin. "You will all accompany me in your wolf forms. I will remain human so I can speak freely."

"I'm coming," Bella interrupted.

"No!" Sam, Jacob, and Leah shouted in unison, completely drowning out Paul's input of "That's what she said."

"It's too dangerous!" Jacob argued.

She had to be there. She was fairly certain that they would all kill each other during the meeting before Victoria's minions ever arrived if she wasn't there to keep an eye on things. She smiled as her mind came to rest on the perfect argument.

"Alright, you guys go. I'll just stay at home. Alone. Smelling delicious…"

"Damn it, Bella!" Jacob cursed. He was interrupted by the sound of a cell phone.

"Hello?" Bella answered. "Hey, Alice….midnight?" Sam nodded silently in agreement. "Okay, we'll be there…See you then…Bye."

Jacob cringed at all of the references Bella so casually made to being present at the meeting.

"I'll sit out the meeting and stay home with Bella," he suggested with a scowl. He really didn't want to miss the action, but there was no way he was leaving Bella home alone.

"I need to be there, Jake. Please," Bella begged.

"No. Sam, tell her she can't come," Jacob whined.

"I'm not her father and you're not mine, Black," Sam stiffened. "Bella has a good point; she absolutely can't be left alone, but you all need to be there tonight. They need to know what they're up against if they're trying to pull something." He turned to address Bella. "You will come, but you will not interfere. You will ride Jacob and not leave his side."

As if on cue, Quil, Embry, and Paul burst out laughing.

"Oh, man, that was just too much!" Quil choked out as he slapped his knees.

"You will _come_," Paul quoted.

Embry's face grew red with laughter. "Ride Jacob!" he hooted.

"OUT!" Sam shouted. "All of you. I don't want to see any of your faces again until 11:30."

It was undeniably an Alpha command, and everyone immediately stood and headed for the door. Bella heard Sam mutter something about "like they were raised by wolves" as she shut the door, and she couldn't help but smile at the crazy little family she had become a part of.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

"I guess I should get home so I can cook dinner for Charlie," Bella told Jacob back in the car.

"Didn't he tell you? He's coming here with a pizza to watch the game with my dad."

Bella let out a sigh of relief. "That sounds good. When is he coming?"

"Around seven."

They both pointedly looked at the clock on the dashboard. It was 4:19.

"So I still get to hang out with you for the rest of the day?" Bella asked.

"You couldn't get rid of me if you tried." Jacob meant it as a reference to the imprint, but then he remembered the new dangers of leaving her alone. He wouldn't be letting her out of his sight any time soon.

"So what do you want to do?" he asked.

"Honestly, I could use a nap. This day has been way too eventful already, and I have to be back here at midnight," said Bella.

Jacob turned into his driveway and pulled the car into the garage. They got out and walked around to the front of the house.

"It looks like Dad's over at the Clearwaters' until dinner," Jacob observed at the apparent lack of Billy's presence.

"Translation—I can take a nap in your bed instead of Rachel and Rebecca's room?" Bella laughed.

"Yep, that's about right," he said sheepishly. Okay, so having Bella in his bed had a few advantages. But if she wanted a nap, he wasn't going to pressure her. A nap with Bella sounded nice.

"Mind of I tag along?" Jacob asked as he pushed open his bedroom door. He hoped she wouldn't read too much into it. He was going to behave if that's what she wanted.

"I'd like that," said Bella. She couldn't help but wondering if he had other things on his mind now that they were about to get into bed together in an empty house. The truth was _she_ had other things on her mind now that they were alone. What healthy girl could be alone in a bedroom with Jacob and NOT let her mind wander a little? Still, for now, she just really needed a nap.

Jacob pulled back the sheets of the unmade bed and climbed in. Bella sat on the other side and pulled off her shoes before snuggling down into the heat of his body. He laid an arm over her waist and kissed her on the cheek before laying his head on the pillow. Within minutes, they were both asleep.

When Bella woke, she was the hottest she had ever been in her life. Literally. Sleeping next to Jacob was like cuddling with an open flame. There was so much body heat building up under the covers that she could feel damp places on the sheets from her sweat. She checked the digital clock and was relieved to see that it was only 4:45. Reassured that no dads would be popping in, she stripped off her t-shirt and jeans, then resumed her position next to Jacob and fell back to sleep.

When Jacob woke, he felt like he was on fire. He couldn't tell if it was just the added body heat of having a second person in his bed, or if it was his body's own reaction to the specific body lying next to his, but it was _definitely_ sweltering under the sheets. He threw back the sheet immediately and felt himself instantly harden at the sight. For some unknown (but very welcome) reason, Bella was only wearing a bra and panties. He propped himself up on his elbow and took in the beauty of her form.

She was still curled against his chest and stomach, her body the perfect molding for his own. She was wearing a white bra with the slightest hint of a lace trim. He was tempted to sit up to get a better look from the front, but he didn't dare move and wake her. Her panties had some strange yellow pattern on them. He stared into it like a 3D eye puzzle for a moment, then stifled a wave of laughter. The yellow pattern was a multitude of cartoon ducks. The little ducks were absurdly attractive to him in the same way that her bed head made him want to kiss her. He would marry this woman one day, and she would bring her ducky briefs and messy hair with her into his life and make him the happiest man on earth.

When Bella woke again, the first thing she felt was the uneasy sensation that she was being watched. The second thing she felt was a hot pressure pressing just under her left thigh.

She turned over to find Jacob staring back at her.

"Good morning," he said, despite the fact that the clock read 6:00 PM.

"It must be," said Bella as she looked pointedly towards his crotch with an amused look on her face.

"Morning wood?" he offered as an excuse.

"It's not morning," she argued.

"In all fairness, it's not wood, either," he said matter-of-factly.

Bella grinned and crawled closer so she could kiss those teasing lips. Jacob leaned into the kiss with his entire body and carefully lifted her thigh and hitched it over his own. She could feel his erection pressing into her inner thigh.

She was hit with a wave of lust when she felt Jacob's hand trail from her hip and down her outer thigh before snaking in to rest on her inner thigh, about an inch too far away. It was like the movie theatre all over again, and her body was begging his hand to close the gap. He began to rub slow circles on the sensitive skin of her thigh, mimicking the motions she longed for him to perform just a few inches higher. Her body let out an impatient moan.

His finger traced two inches higher but veered right, once again stopping just short of where she wanted him. He was going to drive her crazy. He finally gave in and came to rest in the exact right spot. He began to rub those delicious circles, then started giggling.

"What?" Bella asked impatiently.

"I'm sorry, Bells. It's the ducks. I realized I'm petting ducks," he sniggered again.

"Oh for God's sake, Jake!" She lifted her hips and yanked her panties off roughly, then tossed them out of sight.

"Better?"

He nodded with a smile. She was cute when she was mad, but he knew better than to say so. His hand slipped behind Bella's back and expertly snapped the bra open with the flick of a thumb and forefinger. He smiled to himself knowing that those secret trips to Rebecca and Rachel's underwear drawer with Quil and Embry had finally paid off. This was so much more rewarding than disrobing Embry.

Bella slipped the bra off slowly and dropped it over the edge of the bed, feeling oddly confident being naked in front of Jacob.

Jacob grinned like a fool and brought his hand back between her legs. The skin to skin contact was enough to make her gasp, and he felt his own body respond in an almost painful way at the sound. He resumed the circles and watched hungrily as Bella bit her lip, clearly enjoying what he was doing.  
When he brought that hot mouth down onto her breast, she felt a tingling sensation somewhere in her lower back. This mouth was made for her body. He rubbed and he licked and he bit, and Bella was in ecstasy. She needed him inside of her. Now. If they had a condom, she would have flipped him over and straddled his hips at that very moment.

Jacob was surprised when he felt Bella's hand grasp his own and guide him down to her entrance. Slowly, he inserted one finger. The slick walls inside felt just as hot as his own body. He began the motions he knew she craved, and he brought his thumb up to rub in a dual motion.

"Oh, Jake!" she moaned. He sported a smug grin knowing that he had caused that outburst.

"Faster!" she whispered, eyes closed. He obliged.

Moments later, her back arched and she let out a whimper as she squeezed Jacob's shoulder with enough strength to leave a bruise on any other human.

She sighed a noisy sigh and wiped her hair from her face as her muscles began to relax once again.

He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips.

"I'm going to have to consider making naptime with Jacob Black a routine," said Bella.

"Promise?" he asked.

"So long as no one else is around," she amended. She hadn't been quite as noisy as she expected, but no way was she taking any chances.

"Seriously, Jake. If I didn't know any better, I would think you've been practicing."

"I have. In my mind every day for the past year." He was grinning a 100-watt smile that made her want to kiss every one of his teeth.

Suddenly, Jacob jerked his head up and stared intently at the door.

"Shit. Someone's pulling up in the driveway."

Bella tried to scramble out of bed, but her feet were tangled in the discarded sheet. She almost toppled out of bed headfirst, but a strong tan arm pulled her upright again.

Jacob laughed. "Easy, Bells."

"Easy for you to say. You're not naked."

"No, but I've got a raging boner," he said, remembering the inconvenience just as he said it. He jumped out of bed and grabbed a pair of jeans that would better disguise the bulge, but watching her get dressed wasn't helping.

Bella quickly fastened her bra, then pulled her shirt over her head. She picked up her jeans expecting her underwear to be hidden somewhere within, but they weren't.

"Jake! My underwear!"

She looked under the bed and pulled back the sheets, but they were nowhere.

"Damn it!" She shouted, foregoing the ducklings and pulling on her jeans.

"Commando; nice!" Jacob commented as he zipped his own jeans uncomfortably and very carefully. He grabbed a wrinkled t-shirt from the floor but knew there wasn't time to put it on.

He sprinted to the window and shoved it open so hard that a few pieces of splintered wood fell from the pane. The front door was opening.

"Hurry!" he whispered and motioned towards the window. He lifted her torso and she guided her feet out the open window. He was in the middle of forcing his own huge frame through when the sound of Billy's wheelchair came dangerously close to the door. There was no way he could close the window in time. He settled for yanking the curtains shut and jumped just as the doorknob turned. He silently prayed that he had pulled the ancient curtains tightly enough to hide the open window.

With his feet back on the ground again, he stealthily turned with a finger to his lips, ready to grab Bella and head for the garage. He was horrified to find Bella's face accompanied by two large grins. Quil and Embry looked to be dying a slow and painful death of silent laughter. By some miracle, he rallied them all to the garage without getting caught.

Under cover of the garage, Quil and Embry burst out laughing with tears in their eyes.

"Oh man! That was better than TV any day!" Quil exclaimed. He crouched and held a finger to his lips, mimicking Jacob.

"Alright, pay up. That's ten bucks," Embry said to Quil.

"Alright, alright." Quil laughed as he reached for his wallet.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" Jacob whispered in a tone that clearly said he wanted to shout.

"We dropped Seth off and saw Billy there at the Clearwaters'. He said you guys were watching the game tonight and asked if we were interested in tagging along," Embry explained. He left out the part where he and Quil had looked knowingly at each other upon seeing Billy and then invited themselves over, knowing that Jacob and Bella were alone at home.

"We saw the perfect opportunity for little wager and jumped on it," Quil grinned.

"What was the bet?" Bella asked. Her cheeks were bright red.

"Embry here guessed that you guys would make it out alright," Quil explained. "No pun intended, of course. I put my money on you getting caught."

"Get out!" Jacob yelled.

"Aw, come on, man. I get $10, you don't get busted, and we all get a good laugh. No harm done," said Embry. He started to add 'you got laid' to the list of pros, but then thought better. If it was true, Jake would kill him for mentioning it in front of Bella. If it wasn't, Jake would kill him even faster for interrupting.

"How long were you outside of that window?" Jacob demanded. They were all used to instant replays and reruns of their most intimate moments, but no way was he letting these douchebags have a front row seat.

"Not long enough. We rode over with Billy. Told him to go on in and we'd come get you if you were in the garage," said Embry.

"Don't you _ever_ pull a stunt like that again, Call." Jacob glared down at Embry. Wolf genes or not, Jacob still had a few inches on Embry, and several more on Quil. It lent itself well to intimidation tactics.

"Alright, loverboy. We get it," said Quil, pulling lightly on Jacob's arm.

"Do you?" He turned the gaze on Quil and closed the space between them with a single step.

"Yeah, loud and clear." Quil finally took a serious tone and took a step back.

"Why don't we all go inside? Billy's probably wondering what happened to us," Bella suggested, desperately hoping to diffuse the situation. The two idiots needed a good scare so it wouldn't happen again, but she didn't want Jacob to actually punch one of his best friends. She took Jacob's hand and started to steer him away.

"Right, inside. And _not a word_ of this to my Dad," he glared. He hoped that between their little talk and the alpha blood that ran dormant through his veins, the two dumbasses would keep their traps shut.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

It wasn't until the game was over and Jacob and Billy had the house to themselves again that the realization hit him. The Cullen's were back. _He_ was back. What would this mean for his relationship with Bella?

He was bound to Bella for life; there was no reversing it, and he wouldn't want to. But the imprint had been hindered by Cullen once already. Was it possible that it could happen again? Jacob trusted Bella, and he knew she loved him, but he couldn't stop the nagging feeling of unease that settled into the back of his mind. He would have to make things clear to Edward if he so much as spoke to Bella. Bella was his now; the stupid bloodsucker lost his chance when he left, and if he decided to pursue Bella again, then Jacob would pursue Cullen with the aim to kill. He would lay out the lines in plain terms, and if Cullen chose not to respect them, he would rip his icy throat out before he could beg for mercy. The nagging voice spoke the unwanted words despite his resolve: _but what if _she_ wants _him_?_

He was so deep in thought that he didn't hear Billy enter the tiny room.

"Is everything okay, son?" he asked.

"Fine," Jacob replied shortly.

"So then why are you laying in your bed fully dressed in the dark?"

"Didn't realize it got dark, I guess," he mumbled. There had been a hint of daylight left when he first lay down.

Billy flipped the light switch.

"Geez, Dad!" Jacob shouted, squinting. "A little warning would be nice."

For one painfully long second, Jacob saw what was going to happen before it did, and there was no way to stop it. Bella's panties hung from one of the blades of his ceiling fan, and they were about to go flying as the old fan picked up speed. He would have laughed at the idea of the ducks flying if he had any room left for laughter in his panic-stricken daze.

As if operated by karma in response to their earlier escape, the old fan deposited the briefs just inches ahead of Billy's feet. Billy squinted, then smirked when he identified the flying object.

Jacob had no idea what to say. No fabricated story would explain how Bella's panties ended up in his ceiling fan. Hell, even the real story sounded kind of fishy. Seriously, what were the odds?

"Dad, I, uh…I can explain…" he let the sentence trail off.

"Jake, all I need to know is that you're being safe," Billy interrupted.

"Safe enough to not need to be 'safe' yet," he muttered. God, this had to be the most awkward conversation ever. Worse than the time Billy assumed that they had sex in the hotel. It was one thing to talk about it in theory; it was another to have the proof raining down on you.

"Does this have something to do with what's bothering you?" he asked patiently.

"No. It's not Bella, not exactly, anyway." Was Billy really going to drop the whole flying underwear thing already? He must look really pitiful.

"Spit it out. You'll feel better when you do."

He took a deep breath. "It's the Cullen's. Edward. I'm worried that now that he's back…maybe he'll still want Bella. I could deal with that but what if..." he paused for a moment. "What if she still wants him?" he whispered.

"Son, Bella has already made her choice. She chose you."

"But what if she changes her mind?"

"Before the imprint, I would have said that if she changes her mind, then maybe you aren't meant to be together after all. But you're imprinted; nature is telling you that you two belong together. She won't change her mind."

He made it sound so simple, like logic. But love wasn't logical, and his dad had used that word again: "nature." Jacob truly believed that he was Bella's natural path, but nature had already screwed up by letting Cullen exist in the first place. The delayed imprint was proof that nature could be thrown off course.

"I hope you're right, Dad," was all he said.

At 11:15, Bella was fully dressed beneath her quilt, busy racking up all the insane possibilities of how the meeting could go wrong. The image of a wolf body arcing over her head to attack Edward kept playing over and over in mind. Most of the wolves had notoriously bad tempers, but so did Emmett, and Jasper could be pretty fierce too. She got the feeling Rosalie could hold her own as well. It was hard to think of the other Cullens as anything other than friendly, but she knew that they were more than capable of defending themselves if provoked, and she definitely couldn't count on the wolves to behave themselves and not provoke their natural enemies. Paul and Jacob were likely to cause the most trouble, but hopefully Sam could remain rational enough to stop them from being too much of a liability.

She clutched her chest and almost screamed when she heard a scraping sound at her window. Jacob gave up trying to pry it open and tapped on the glass, crooking a finger and summoning Bella for help.

"I thought you were going to howl and I was going to come meet you!" she whispered as she opened the window. She stepped back and watched as he squeezed his muscular frame through the small window.

"That was the plan, but I thought this would be safer. I realized you would either fall and get hurt trying to climb out of your window, or you would chance going through the front door and wake Charlie."

"You're probably right, but you almost gave me a heart attack!" she scolded.

Jacob moved closer and picked her up, cradling her in his arms.

"You're going to jump? _We're_ going to jump?" Her eyes went wide.

"You'll be fine, I promise." He bent and quickly kissed her on the lips before moving to the window.

It was a tight fit, and a lot of maneuvering was involved. Jacob had to put Bella down and sit on the window sill with his legs hanging out, then squeeze her through the tiny space left and pull her into his lap. It was like trying to force the wrong piece into a puzzle, but they finally managed.

When his feet hit the ground, he sprinted into the woods before setting her down.

"Okay, I'm going to phase, and I want you to climb onto my back and hold onto my fur tightly. It won't hurt me. Don't let go for anything. When we get there, you stay with me." He meant physically, but his mind involuntarily wandered to Edward again.

He pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her cheek. He would not lose her.

As she innocently stroked the skin of his bare abdomen, he took a step back.

"Sorry, I, uh…need to stay focused." He had never shifted with an erection before, but now wasn't the time to find out what would happen.

Bella was a little affronted at his reaction, but of course he was right. It was selfish to be thinking about how much she wanted him when the lives of everyone that was important to her were at stake.

She fought back a surge of desire when he dropped his shorts to phase. He gave her a sheepish smile, then turned and began the process. His muscles rippled, and his body seemed to swell and grow while still in the human form. With a sudden burst like a small explosion, he was wolf instead of man. There had been no gradual sprouting of fur or claws like in the movies, no half man in a clear transition to being a wolf. One moment he was Jacob the boy, and the next he was Jacob the wolf. He turned back to face her and crouched so she could reach to climb on.

Bella was hesitant to climb up, afraid that she would hurt him somehow. She knew the idea was absurd, but the thought of pressing her sneakers into his hips worried her. She did it as gently and quickly as she could, positioning herself in the center of his broad back and holding the fur at the base of his shoulders. Once he was sure she was secure, he ran.

She pressed her body close to his to keep from falling off. His fur was thick and bristly against her face, and she was surprised to find that he still smelled like Jacob, only more feral, more animal somehow. With the cool night air brushing over her back, she couldn't help but recall the last time she had ridden through the forest on the back of another. Edward would be there tonight, wouldn't he? Alice had said her family had returned, and she could only assume that Edward was included. A small part of her hoped that he had not returned. It would decrease their chances of survival, but it would save her the humiliation of having to face the one who had not wanted her. Even if he would have her, she had no interest in returning to him, but it was still humiliating to think about facing someone who had rejected her so vehemently.

Instead of heading to Sam and Emily's house like she had expected, Jacob turned towards the nearby woods. Bella realized that the rest of the pack was already phased and ready to go just inside the tree line. Jacob silently fell into place in the center of the formation, and they ran together as a single unit.

At first, the quiet had been peaceful. Now that they were nearing the clearing with the pack, the silence felt like a wall separating Bella from everyone else. She didn't dare speak, and they couldn't respond even if she did. Butterflies built up in the pit of her stomach as the trees started to thin, and she made herself take a few deep breaths.

Finally, she could make out the clearing, and the pack came to a stop just a few yards inside. She knew the Cullens must be there, but she couldn't see them in the dark. Sam had taken communicating from a safe distance very seriously.

"You need not do that, if you prefer not to. I can hear you just fine," his icy voice rang out against the silence as he stepped into view. He was every bit as beautiful and godlike as he had been so many months ago, and he still had the voice of an angel. It was like nothing and everything had changed. It was strange looking at Edward Cullen, appreciating his beauty, and feeling nothing more. Bella let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"She was telling the truth; I can." Edward's eyes sought Bella, then quickly returned to the wolf.

It was strange hearing only half of the conversation. She realized for the first time just how hard it must be for Edward to avoid answering people's thoughts instead of their words.

"Yes, we are offering to form a temporary alliance to defend against the impending invasion," he responded formally.

Bella noticed that the other Cullens had slowly crept into view. Alice and Esme both shot her brief warm smiles and waved before returning their attention to the situation. She felt a pang of guilt and realized that she missed Esme. Suddenly, she wanted them to miss her too. She knew the fierce look on Emmett's face was one of defense and intimidation at the wolves—not Bella herself—but the thought of these beautiful creatures hating her hurt too much to think about.

"She _is_ our concern." It was clear from his intonation that one of the wolves must have suggested otherwise.

"I am the reason that Victoria seeks revenge. I will not set such a thing in motion and leave it unresolved," Edward explained coolly.

So, Edward was here out of some sick obligation to do the right thing, riding out that chivalrous complex of being the perfect gentleman of the early 1900s. That sounded like him. He said it as though he had signed a contract, and he was simply seeing it through.

"We want to help," Carlisle spoke for the first time. "We want to ensure Bella's safety just as much as you do."

The silence this time was tense and lengthy before Edward answered another unspoken question.

"We fight. Jasper has experience with newborns. He can teach you what to expect and what to do." He paused, listening.

"It would be more efficient if we practiced together in a physical match." He said the words as if they burned his already venomous tongue. It was clear he didn't like the idea any more than the wolves did.

There were several snarling sounds at the suggestion.

"Likewise," he said darkly. "Be that as it may, think of what is important here. Imagine the larger picture. If we do not, we all die. If we all die, there will still be a newborn army running rampant in the area with no one to stop them." Edward was just too darn reasonable and removed from the situation. It was like he was solving math equations rather than deciding Bella's fate.

Jasper stepped forward and spoke with Alice still clutching at his hand.

"There are certain advantages and weaknesses specific to newborns that can mean the difference in victory and defeat. You'll stand a much greater chance at defeating them if you will allow me to teach you the basics and a few moves that will help you gain the upper hand despite their strength. Quantity alone will not defeat them."

Bella could only roughly guess at what the wolves were saying, but all in all, they were much calmer than she had anticipated. She thought she saw Alice squeeze Jasper's hand, then realized why. He was keeping everyone calm, or at least calmer than they would have been naturally.

She noted the way several of the wolves turned their heads slightly towards Sam as they communicated, but none of their bodies moved. They were being careful not to turn their backs to the Cullens.

"Right. It's settled then. Tomorrow," said Edward. With a curt nod, he took a few steps backward towards the rest of his family. Jasper and Alice followed suit.

The wolves began slowly backing away, still never taking their eyes off of the Cullens. It was as if the two families were looking into some warped mirror. Bella wanted to laugh as she thought of middle school dances where boys and girls watched each other warily from opposite sides of the room, afraid to make the first move.

When they had backed far enough away that they Cullens were out of sight, they turned and ran in sync into the night.

When Jacob broke from the pack, Bella knew he was taking her home. She would demand a detailed explanation of what had happened as soon as his lips could form the words.

Once again, he lowered her to the ground under cover of the trees in the woods behind her house, then quickly shifted and pulled on his shorts.

"So what just happened?" she whispered.

"We agreed to meet them tomorrow to learn how to kill these things. Or I guess I should say _Sam_ agreed for us. Paul and Leah were being difficult as usual. It wasn't an easy decision to make. A few of us will be going as humans so communication will be easier."

"I'm coming with you again," Bella stated rather than asked.

"I knew you would say that," said Jacob.

"You're not saying no this time."

"You were right about it being dangerous for you to stay home alone." _And Sam already ordered me to bring you_.

"So what time will I see you tomorrow?" she asked.

"Bright and early as always, of course." He smiled that huge smile of his, and everything felt okay again. She stood on her toes and pulled his head down so she could reach his lips.

"Love you, Jake."

"I love you too, Bells."

Jacob reached to pick her up, but she stopped him.

"I'm taking the door this time. There's no way we'll both make it back in through the window."

"I'll see you in the morning," he said as he waved goodbye. After he was sure she made it back to her room undetected, he quickly shifted and curled up under a tree to keep watch.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

"Bells, is everything alright?" Charlie asked the next morning over breakfast. He noticed that his scrambled eggs were a little runny and his toast a little burnt. It was still better than anything he could have cooked, but it wasn't quite up to par with Bella's usual culinary standards.

"Yeah, fine, Dad. I'm just a little distracted. The Cullens are back in town," she confessed. She couldn't keep everything from him, and he was bound to see Alice again anyhow.

Charlie didn't like this at all, not one bit. Did this mean that funny-haired bastard was going to be around again? He couldn't handle watching Bella fall apart again. And Jake sure as hell didn't deserve to be put through any of that again, either.

"All of them?" he hedged.

"Yeah, that's what Alice said. She stopped by yesterday to tell me," she offered as a response to the real question she knew he was asking.

Charlie digested the facts with his runny eggs. Neither went down smoothly.

"Why did they come back?"

"I think they just missed it here," she said evasively.

Charlie didn't take that as a good sign. Was this code for saying that sorry excuse for a human missed his Bella? Well he'd have to answer to Chief Swan, and there was no way in hell Charlie was allowing him to set foot in this house ever again. He'd rather she run off and elope with Jacob right now if it would keep Edward out of the picture for good.

"Dad? You're turning a little red. Are you okay?" Bella asked.

"Yeah, it's just a lot to take in. I didn't see this coming."

She might as well address the elephant in the room and get it over with.

"I'm not going back to him, Dad."

Damn, was he that obvious? Still, it was good news. Great news, even.

"I'm glad to hear it, Bells. I don't know that I could handle going through that again." _And I _know_ that you couldn't_, he added mentally.

"So you and Jake are doing well then?"

"Yeah, you could say that. I'm really happy with him," she said. She felt her cheeks flush even though she hadn't admitted anything Charlie didn't already know. The truth was she was head over heels in love with Jake, but Charlie wasn't ready to hear it.

"That's great, Bells." Really great. She sounded just the right amount of happy when she said it. It sounded genuine, but she didn't sound obsessed. It was a nice, natural balance.

The wait in the clearing was every bit as excruciating as the last months had been. Being near her wasn't helping; it was only amplifying the loneliness that had been festering inside. It was strange being near her again and not being able to have her, but that would hopefully change. He would simply have to come clean about the lie since his plan had backfired so horribly. In doing what he thought was best, he had become the worst hypocrite imaginable. He left to keep her safe, so naturally she found the nearest set of supernatural creatures that could pose a threat. It was sickly ironic.

He had tried to keep his distance from her during the first meeting, and he had succeeded, or so it appeared. But while his eyes were focused on the wolves, and his lips were speaking to them, his mind was set on Bella, and his heart was breaking all over again. He had to face it; he needed her, and he hoped she still needed him. There was only one way to find out.

_Relax, bro. You can profess your undying love for her all over again soon enough_, Emmett thought. _Get it? Undying? I tell you man, I slay myself. Only I can't, 'cause, you know, I'm already dead_.

Emmett laughed out loud at himself, and a few confused heads turned to look at him. _And in the meantime, you can unwind by knocking the shit out of some oversized lapdogs_, he added.

Edward felt Jasper put a hand on his shoulder and knew his brother was trying to calm his nerves. It was nice having someone to numb the pain a little, but it seemed unfair to subject Jasper to every stabbing emotion he felt.

…_and I'll wear the red Manolos with that white tea-length taffeta halter, and I'll have to get a fabulous pair of diamond earrings to set it off just so_… Alice was mentally going through her wardrobe again, and he couldn't help but wonder what she was hiding this time. She loved fashion, but it wasn't like her to be thinking about shoes when they were waiting for a pack of werewolves to show. He tried to ignore her obvious evasions and focus.

"Edward, dear, what are you going to do?" Esme asked as she put a hand on his forearm.

"I'm going to tell her the truth. That I lied, and that I still love her with every bit of my being. I just don't know how I'll get a chance with her guard dogs around. They were behaving so territorially about her." He recalled the menacing thoughts the russet one had thought towards him. The mutt felt some sort of claim over her, and he had made no attempt to mask his anger; he had felt strangely hostile towards Edward in particular.

"You'll do the right thing; you always do. You'll know when the right moment presents itself. It may be best to give her some time to get used to your return." She rubbed his back the way her mother had rubbed hers when she was afraid so many years ago.

Time. As if the last 147 days, 12 hours, and 34 seconds hadn't been enough. Those days had been harder than any of the 108 years he spent alone before Bella.

He started to hear a faint jumble of thoughts and knew the wolves were approaching. "They're almost here," he informed his family.

"Everyone remember what I said?" Carlisle prompted.

"Yeah, yeah, we know. Stay calm, don't get carried away, no drawing blood," Emmett recited, looking a little disappointed.

"Like we're rehearsing for a battle scene in a play," Alice added.

"Avoid threats and menacing comments at all costs. We don't want them to try to take matters into their own hands and cost Bella her life. Jasper, do your best to control the climate and keep things light. I trust you all and know you will do your best to make this work," Carlisle instructed.

When they entered the clearing, Edward was surprised to see a few humans mixed in with the wolves. He listened in to get a feel for the atmosphere, flipping back and forth as though changing radio stations.

…_I hope it wasn't a mistake to come as a human; now we can't all communicate…_

…got to stop thinking about Leah naked before she breaks my nose again…

…probably shouldn't have eaten that seventh burger…

…hope he's over her…that bloodsucker never deserved her in the first place…

He winced at the last thought. Even if they could somehow all act civilized and come to an agreement, would it ruin things to try to get Bella back? Maybe for the sake of the greater good, he should hold off on telling her. It would hardly do any good to get her back at the cost of losing the wolves' support, only to have Victoria's army come and destroy them all a week later.

_Aw HELL nah! He is NOT wearing that! That bastard is going down._

Edward glanced in the direction of Emmett's angered thoughts and saw the culprit. One of the humans was wearing a t-shirt that said "Vampires Suck," complete with little blood droplets oozing from the letters. As insulting as it was, he chuckled to himself knowing that Emmett would have worn the shirt himself had he thought of it first.

"Alright, let's get started," said the human holding Bella's hand. For once, he was glad that time was different for him than it was for humans. He stared at Bella openly for what felt like hours, but would only pass as a second to everyone else. Her pale skin was creamy and flushed like a ripened peach. She looked breathtaking, even with her hair tangled and wild. He wanted nothing more than to trace his hand over her cheek and run his fingers through her hair.

After allowing for this undetected moment of adoration, he focused once again on the wolf addressing him.

"Only those in wolf form will participate in the practice. The rest of us will observe and learn through memory for now."

"Very well," Carlisle accepted.

Jasper explained the basics and staged a demonstration with Alice. The two stressed the importance of defensive moves over direct attacks as Jasper opted for strength and speed over precision, and Alice maneuvered just inches out of his grasp with each move. After a few minutes of blindingly fast evasions, Alice stood proudly with her foot on Jasper's neck, pinning him to the ground. He grinned up at her before regaining an upright position.

"You see? Speed and strength can be overcome with agility and planning. You'll have to outsmart them. Don't go for the obvious attack," he instructed.

"Would any of you like to try?" he asked warily as he stepped towards the wolves into an empty space.

A medium-sized grey wolf stepped forward.

"Okay, when I say go—" Carlisle began, but he stopped abruptly when the wolf sprang.

Jacob inwardly cheered when Leah's teeth grazed the vampire's neck, but each time he squirmed away at the last second with some counter attack. There were several times when he thought she had won, but the 'fight' ended with Leah on her back, and the one they called Jasper had his arms wrapped around her torso, pinning her to the ground.

Jasper let go, dusted himself off, and addressed his win.

"That was a good start, but you'll have to be careful not to let one of them get their arms around you. It's just as dangerous as a bite. If possible, try to remove the arms first," he suggested practically.

Bella thought she might be sick.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with various wolf/Cullen pairs battling it out. Each suffered at least one loss and one win, though Leah never lost again after the first try. Embry dislocated a shoulder courtesy of Rosalie, but he worked her shock to his advantage and pinned her before she could regain composure.

Jacob never let go of Bella once. When the muscles in his palm ached from holding her hand for so long, he removed the sweaty hand and wrapped an arm around her shoulders instead. When she was tired of standing, he sat next to her, close enough that their hips touched. They were always on the outskirts of the audience too, with at least one row of wolves between them and the action. He wasn't taking any chances.

Paul flopped back in the grass and put his hands behind his head. His eyes drifted shut.

Jacob jabbed him hard in the ribs.

"Hey jackass, wake up and take notes. We're supposed to be learning here."

"I never was one for school," he teased, but he sat up and opened his eyes.

"I can't believe you wore that shirt. If I had noticed it before we left, I would have ripped it off of you."

"So what? It's not a secret how we feel. Like Sam said, we're not trying to date them, we're just trying not to kill them. That's all. And even that's temporary." He shrugged.

"Hey!" Bella shouted. "Take it back! Can't you see that they want to help?"

"And what are _you_ going to do about it, little miss Swan?"

"I happen to have a very reliable guard dog," Bella joked, peeking out playfully from behind Jacob's shoulder.

"The way I hear it, it's bros before hoes. Right, man?" Paul punched Jacob's shoulder playfully.

Jacob backhanded Paul and watched with satisfaction as blood dripped from his nose. The idiot needed to learn some manners.

"What the hell, dude?" Paul said, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. "I was joking!"

"I'm sorry, what you said sounded a lot like 'please break my nose'." Jacob didn't so much as smile at his joke.

Meanwhile, Sam bulldozed Jasper, and seven pale faces turned towards the ruckus.

"Shit!" said Paul. "Sorry, the buffet's closed, guys." He laughed nervously at the red smear on his hand.

Rosalie's laugh rang like bells throughout the clearing.

"Oh my god, really? You think we would drink from you? You must be dumber than you look," she said.  
"I would eat rotten eggs before I would touch your blood. You probably have rabies."

"What she means to say," Carlisle intervened, "is that your blood holds no appeal for us. The scent marks it as other, wrong. You are safe, I assure you. Even vampires who do not practice our beliefs would not pursue you as prey."

Jacob couldn't help but think about the one exception sitting next to him. Bella was hardly safe in the presence of these monsters. What if she fell and scraped her knee?

"That's enough for today, anyway," Jasper announced as he pulled himself from the ground once again and smoothed out his rumpled shirt.

That was all Jacob needed to hear. He got to his feet and pulled Bella up with him, already steering her away from the clearing.

"Wait!" Alice called. "Can I speak to Bella first?"

"Sure, Alice, what's up?"

Jacob scowled and squeezed her hand tighter, but he nodded to the others that it was okay to go ahead without them. He could easily take the little one alone if he had to.

Edward looked on, picking out the words he couldn't hear from their brains. The male was cautious and feeling very possessive of Bella. He wouldn't even let go so Alice could talk to her.

Alice was thinking that Bella seemed to be in good hands with Jacob—so that was his name. She was wishing he would trust her more. It felt like betrayal that Alice didn't hate this jerk as much as he did.

Carlisle tugged at his arm. "We need to get back, Edward." He paused for a moment, reaching for an excuse to stay and listen in. He knew Carlisle wouldn't accept any excuses. They had been together long enough that they all knew Edward was listening. He gave in and allowed himself to be led out of the clearing and into the forest.

"It's about Edward," Alice explained. "I think you should be the one to tell him about your imprint."

"Why? What does it matter?" Bella couldn't see why Edward would care at all.

"I just think he needs to know, and I'd rather he hear it from you than the inside of my head. I've been trying not to think about it and I think I've been successful, but I'm bound to slip up some time."

As much as he didn't trust or like her, Jacob agreed that Edward needed to know. The sooner, the better.

"You could come over to our house this afternoon and have a talk with him. And we could hang out." Alice smiled.

"No, she can't," said Jacob.

"Why not?" Bella asked.

"Bella, honey, I can't let you go over there alone. It's completely against my natural instincts, and with the imprint on top of that, I don't think I could physically stand it."

"Jake, I can't just not see Alice ever again. She's my friend."

"Then we'll have to work something out, but you can't go over to that house alone."

"Jacob, we protected her before you ever knew she needed protection. She is safe with us," Alice argued.

"Can you see that, Alice?" Bella asked. Maybe Jacob would feel better if Alice could see her visit and reassure them that everything would go smoothly.

"Well, no, but I think that's due to the werewolf block. Maybe I can't see it because one of you comes over with her," she offered. "I'll tell you what. I'll arrange it so that the rest of the family is out hunting. It will be just me and Edward home. Jacob, you can accompany her if you must."

Jacob weighed his options. He could go with her and get it over with, or he could refuse and risk her sneaking out or being kidnapped again.

"Alright, but we're not staying for tea," he caved.

Alice smirked at the almost joke. "Give us two hours," she requested. "I'll make sure they're gone."

"It's a date!" Bella leaped forward before Jacob could stop her and hugged Alice.

A _date_. Of course. Jacob scowled knowing even Quil would have trouble finding humor in the situation.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Charlie's eyes went wide with shock when Bella and Jacob walked through the door holding hands. Her hair was messy and tangled, and he saw something that looked suspiciously like a leaf stem peeking out from one particularly rough-looking area. Her normally neat clothes were wrinkled and dusty. She looked like she had been rolling around on the ground.

He shifted his gaze to Jacob and eyed him suspiciously. He looked rosy-cheeked and clean, but he was wearing a smile that had guilt written all over it. He had seen smiles like that before. Boys didn't smile like that because they went for a casual stroll through the woods. Things were more serious than he thought.

"Where have you two been?" he asked, already feeling the flush of anxiety coloring his cheeks.

"Just over at Jacob's. We walked on the beach," said Bella. Her smile looked completely innocent. Either Bella was a better liar than he thought, or he was losing his touch.

"You always get that dirty at the beach?" He raised an eyebrow to let them know he meant business. The eyebrow raise was one of the few parenting moves he knew.

Bella furrowed her brows, giving a very convincing show of confusion. Damn it, she was getting better at lying after all. If she had cleaned herself up, he never would have known.

Jacob turned to really look at her and started laughing, then pulled a twig out of her hair. He handed it to her.

She still looked confused, even with the twig in her hand. This had to be the best show of innocence Charlie had ever seen. Then her face lit with recognition. Aha, so she thought of an excuse.

"Oh! That. We walked back to Jake's house through the woods when we left the beach."

Leaves could fall into her hair; he'd give her that. But there was no explanation for the dirt and wrinkles on her clothes. He pointed down at her stomach to show her as much.

"She tripped on a tree stump and fell," Jacob offered. "You know how clumsy she is, Charlie," Jacob laughed a nervous laugh.

Charlie knew they were guilty of something more than poor footing, but his work here was done. He absolutely did not want to know the real details; he just wanted them to know that he was onto them so they'd quit whatever it was that they may or may not be doing. That was all he could handle for now.

There was a long, awkward silence.

"Well, I guess I better go upstairs and get cleaned up, then," said Bella. "I'll be right back."

She took off up the stairs and shut her door.

Charlie was alone with Jacob. So much for dropping the whole awkward subject.

"Why don't you come have a seat, Jake?" he motioned towards the living room. He led the way and sat forward on the edge of his recliner, leaving Jacob to sit on the couch.

"Listen, I know you kids are having a good time hanging out," he started, "and I'm glad. She's been smiling a lot more with you around." It was almost scary how happy she looked lately. "But I need you to understand that she can't handle going through something like she went through last year again, you hear me?"

"Yes sir, absolutely," Jacob said seriously. "I know how messed up she was for a while, and I want you to know that I could never do that to her."

"That's good to hear, Jake. Because you know, I've always been fond of you; you're like a son to me. I'd hate to see something happen to change that," he hinted. He worded it so Jake might think that he would hate to see them break up and grow apart, OR he would hate to see Jake screw up and get on his bad side somehow. Things like rolling around on the ground with his daughter, for instance, might put him on his bad side.

He reached out to pat Jacob's shoulder for fatherly emphasis. He froze as his hand grazed a rough seam. Jacob's shirt was on inside out.

"You might want to fix your shirt," he said with a scowl.

Jacob looked down, and Charlie watched as his face grew from confused to horrified. Charlie felt a sense of smug satisfaction at a job of intimidation well done.

His satisfaction was short lived, however, when Jacob pulled his shirt over his head and put it back on the right way. That kid had way too many muscles to be, well, a kid. He was growing up way too fast. Already he seemed a few inches taller than his last visit.

"I know how this looks, Charlie, but it's not what you think. I swear," Jacob said. That's what they all said.

"I'd like to believe that, but the evidence is stacking up against you, son."

Just as he was getting into a good stride, he heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs.

"We'll end the conversation here for now, but be smart about this, Jacob," he said with a tone of finality.

"How does lasagna sound for dinner, boys?" Bella called.

"Sounds great, Bells," Charlie called. Jacob remained silent.

-BREAK-

Dinner was full of awkward silences and carefully chosen words.

For the first time in a long time, Jacob felt like an average, insecure teenage boy. He had always been comfortable around Charlie, like family, but the dynamic of their relationship had shifted as a result of the change in his relationship with Bella. As he left behind the "safe" friend territory with Bella, he left behind the "safe" label Charlie had placed on him too.

The most annoying part of it all was that the whole thing had been a misunderstanding that he could never clear up. What would he say? _Oh, no, Charlie, we weren't fooling around. You see I'm a werewolf and Bella got dirty riding on my back through the woods on our way to meet up with her vampire ex-boyfriend and his undead family. _Jacob knew Charlie, and he knew that Charlie liked to keep things simple. He would bet money that, given the option, Charlie would rather keep believing his assumption that they had been fooling around than be exposed to the truth.

Jacob was helping Bella dry the dishes when she broke one of the lengthy silences.

"Hey, dad? You mind if I go visit Alice after I finish up with the dishes?" She asked casually.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea, Bella. Are you sure?" Charlie wasn't sure exactly how to finish that sentence.

"I'll go with her, Charlie," Jacob volunteered. "She'll be fine."

Charlie couldn't decide if he should feel relieved or worried that they would be spending even more time together. In the grand scheme of things, he supposed it was good for Bella to bring Jacob to Edward's house. Then maybe Edward would get the picture and leave her alone. As much as it pained him to think about it, if Bella had to come home covered in leaves, he'd prefer her to be rolling around with Jacob than anyone else. He'd shoot the Cullen kid if he ever brought her home like that, and maybe Jacob's muscles weren't such a bad thing after all. He could take Edward.

"Alright, but you guys behave," he said pointedly.

Charlie smiled when Jacob exited the house a full three feet behind Bella.

-BREAK-

"I think I officially stopped being your dad's favorite person," Jacob admitted as Bella started the truck. He had conceded to let her drive since she knew the way.

"Why didn't you tell me I looked like that, Jake?" Bella's voice rose anxiously as they discussed the awkward encounter freely now that they were alone.

"I honestly didn't even think about it. You always look beautiful to me." He shrugged. "We'll have to be more careful."

"I'm sorry I left you alone with him after that. I didn't know what else to do," she apologized.

"It was mostly okay until he noticed my shirt was on inside out too. That was my first intimidating dad speech, and I didn't even do anything wrong this time," Jacob smiled.

"Things would be so much easier if we could just tell him."

"It would be easier for us, but not for him," said Jacob. "Knowing is a big responsibility, and it's not his to carry."

"I know, you're right. But I was dying to set him straight about what happened! As if I'd roll around in the woods with you," she said loftily.

When he turned to look at her, she winked at him.

"Never?" he asked. "It might be fun."

"Until Quil and Embry show up."

Ouch. Quil and Embry were such cock blocks they could kill a moment when they weren't even there.

"They'll leave us alone from now on, Bells. That's a guarantee."

"Good, because it seems like something always interrupts us."

"One day I'll make love to you uninterrupted. We'll go somewhere far away and not worry about anything at all, and we'll lay in bed all day just talking and kissing and doing whatever we feel like."

"I'd like that." Everything about that little fantasy sounded wonderful. The thought of not having to worry about anything was almost as appealing as the thought of spending an uninterrupted day in bed with Jacob.

"I guess we'll have to get through this first, though" she amended as they drove down the long, tree-framed driveway to the old familiar house.

"I think it's best if you let me talk to him on my own, Jake."

He tensed at the suggestion, but she was right. He would rip the guy's head off.

"Only if I can be waiting in the next room. I don't want you going off too far with him."

"Of course, Jake. I want you there." She smiled and squeezed his hand lightly to help ease his nerves.

The conversation would be awkward, but Alice was right; he needed to know. After seeing Edward again and hearing his claims to be at fault for the whole situation, she needed to relieve him of some of the guilt. Not for his own sake, but for hers and Jacob's. She would tell him that she was no longer his responsibility, and that Jacob would take care of her now. Maybe he would even be so pleased that he would leave, feeling that his duty was taken care of.

-BREAK-

Bella was coming. If he were human, he would have been pacing, maybe absurdly straightening items that were already in place; instead, he stood at one of the large glass panels and pretended to look out. This was his chance to fix things, and he had to do it right. He would grovel on his knees if she liked. It would certainly be fitting after what he did. He would spend the rest of her life—perhaps even eternity—making it up to her. The combination of being without her and then finding out the danger she had been in the entire time had worked on his previous convictions. He still didn't entirely support her desire to become one of them, but he was ready to give it to her if it was what she truly wanted. It could be the only way to keep her safe.

_I hope this doesn't take long so we can get the hell out of here._

A thought that did not belong to Alice broke into his mind. It was angry and male, and obviously not Bella. Who was here?

Down the hall, he heard Alice open the door to greet Bella and _Jacob_. Was the mutt really so overprotective that he could not allow her to come here alone? He wanted to run to them and see Bella, but he kept his feet planted. Alice was insisting on giving Jacob a tour of the house.

_Huh…not what I expected. It's so nice and _normal_ looking. Well, normal if the average person had millions to blow on furniture they don't need. That leader's so old I bet that painting is the original._Edward smirked at the thought. TV and popular novels had completely trashed the reputation of vampires. The hairball probably expected coffins and candelabras rather than Esme's tasteful decorating skills.

About halfway through the tour, the wolf's thoughts began to wander. He stopped following Alice's drawn out descriptions and started thinking in images rather than words. He was seeing a bare back, a shapely pair of hips, the lace trim of a bra. He was imagining the heat of her body pressed against his erection. As Edward was about to slam his mental door shut on the childish fantasy, he saw the pale face that accompanied the curves. Bella.

So _that's_ why he was always hanging around. It was worse than he thought. This Jacob wanted to be more than her guard dog; he was lusting after her. He wondered if he should warn her, but then he recalled the thoughts of that Newton boy and so many other boys at their school and decided against it. Apparently it was a natural male reaction to fantasize about Bella Swan, and Edward himself was no exception. And he had to admit that these images were much tamer than some of the more creative ones he had seen. Bella had done herself a huge favor by turning down that Tyler kid.

This new development was going to complicate things that were already complicated enough. Even if he said all the right things and Bella forgave him, it seemed highly unlikely that Jacob would let her go without a fight. But Bella was worth fighting for, and he would do anything necessary to have her again, so long as she would have him. He was getting ahead of himself, though. First things first—he needed to speak to Bella. If she could not forgive his transgressions, then none of the rest would matter.

He heard a single set of footsteps coming closer to his room, and he knew Bella was coming. This was it.

"Knock knock," she said, and he turned to look at her. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a salmon colored t-shirt that complemented her creamy skin perfectly. Her long, mahogany hair held the slightest hint of waves. He doubted she knew how amazing she always looked. She had the kind of effortless beauty women spent hours trying to achieve with makeup and hair accessories.

"Come in, Bella," he said.

She looked around and seemed to weigh her options before sitting on the white leather sofa.

"Edward, I think we need to talk." She said it calmly and with a polite smile.

"Ah, that we do. And normally, it is my instinct to let the lady lead, but under the circumstances, may I?" He needed to tell her first.

She looked confused, but consented. "Sure, go ahead."

"Bella, I need to apologize for leaving and for lying. I can honestly say I did it because I thought it was best for you, but now I see that I was wrong. It was the single worst mistake of my existence, and I will hate myself for it forever. I am so sorry." Edward paused to give her a moment to think about what he said and to give her room to respond. He expected her to begin yelling any second now.

"What? I don't understand. What did you lie about?" Bella's facial expression told him that she was serious. She didn't know. He just assumed that she would have seen through the lie immediately. He had told her so many times how much he loved her; how could one well-intended lie cancel out all of that?

"That day in the woods, when I told you why I was leaving," he paused, dreading the necessary words, "when I told you I didn't want you," he whispered, "it was a lie. I never expected you to believe it," he confessed.

Bella's eyes grew wide. "But that means—" she let the sentence trail off.

Edward filled in the blank for her. "Yes. I never stopped loving you, not for a single second." His desire to reach out and touch her was almost overwhelming. _Almost_. He kept his composure, afraid to scare her away or make her angry, like holding a hand full of food out to a reluctant bird that might fly away at any second.

Out of habit, he reached out with his mind to read her reaction, only to be hit with a barrier. He scanned her face for some hint of emotion, but she simply looked deep in thought. He had never wanted to read anyone's thoughts more than in this moment.

It seemed like hours before she formed a response.

"Edward, I—" she began, but was cut off as Alice sped into the room in a panic.

"Edward!" Alice cried. "I saw them! They're coming!"

Jacob sprinted into the room behind her at his more human speed.

"When?" He stood up and placed his hands on Alice's shoulders.

"Two days. They will be here in two days."

"We need to form a plan of attack _now_. I'll call Carlisle and tell him to get everyone back here immediately."

Edward turned to address Jacob. "How fast can you have your pack in the clearing?"

"Fifteen minutes, twenty tops," he answered.

"Go call them now and tell them to meet us as soon as possible. We'll have Carlisle and the others meet us there when they can, but we need to get started." There wasn't enough time.

When Bella whimpered as Jacob clutched her to his chest, he vowed to survive. He would not let Bella die alone, and he would not die without her.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

"Why don't we take Emmett's Jeep so we can discuss it on the way?" Alice suggested as soon as Jacob and Edward were done with their phone calls.

"Fine," Jacob agreed. He wanted to know everything.

Alice and Edward were at the Jeep almost instantly, and they were already inside by the time Jacob and Bella stepped out of the house. Jacob put his hands on Bella's hips and hoisted her over the giant tires and into the backseat. He squeezed himself in next to her and fastened their seatbelts as Alice revved the engine and took off.

"They're coming early on Thursday. That gives us tonight to plan and tomorrow to act, depending on what we decide. I still can't get a clear read on a number, but I'd still say it's in the dozens," Alice explained.

"We should put Bella on a plane immediately. She can visit her mother in Florida," Edward suggested.

"No!" she shouted in protest. "If they follow me, that puts my mom in danger, too. Or if they stay and follow my scent, it will lead them straight to Charlie!"

"She's right," said Alice.

"Bella, you can't stay here! They're coming for _you_!" Jacob cried.

Bella and Jacob bounced wildly in the back of the Jeep as Alice drove over heavy terrain at a terrifying speed.

"I can't leave and let my scent lead them to Charlie!"

"We can remove Charlie and send him to a safe place," said Edward.

"And then what? They come after me and my mom in Florida? Nowhere is safe." _Nowhere with people that I love_, she thought. Maybe she should just sneak off quietly on her own. The thought terrified her, but she could risk her own life if it meant saving so many others. But "risk" wasn't really the right word here. "Give" was more accurate. If she went off alone, there was no doubt in her mind what would happen. But what else could she do? For about the millionth time, she was grateful that Edward couldn't read her mind.

"We will have to guard you somehow," said Jacob.

Alice slammed on the brakes and sent them all jerking forward. Before Jacob or Bella could protest, Alice had unfastened their harnesses and opened their doors.

Everyone jumped out and ran for the clearing, once again leaving Jacob and Bella to bring up the rear.

Jacob wasn't used to being the slow one, but he was almost thankful for Alice's speed and helpfulness if it meant saving any time that could be valuable to Bella.

Everyone was already in the clearing, including the rest of the Cullens. The wolves were all in human form and clad in various ragged shorts, with the exception of Leah who also wore a sports bra.

"Tell us everything," Carlisle prompted.

After Alice explained what little she knew, the clearing broke out in murmurs and multiple conversations speculating what should, could, and would happen.

"We've got to focus!" Alice cried. Her voice was surprisingly menacing for someone so small, and silence ensued.

"The most immediate problem is what to do with Bella," she explained. "She can't leave because her scent will draw them to Charlie's house, and they could easily track her anywhere."

"And she can't stay because that's suicide!" Jacob shouted.

"We could guard her?" Quil suggested.

"If we're busy guarding her, there won't be enough of us left to fight," Sam reasoned.

The answer came to Bella as easily as though it had been there all along. Well, part of one, anyway.

"Wait! I have an idea." Everyone turned to look at her. "They will follow my scent anywhere, right? What if I make a trail and lead them somewhere specific. Somewhere they can be defeated."

"Use you as bait?" Jasper asked. A hint of a smile lined his pale face.

"No. Freaking. Way," said Jacob.

"No!" Edward shouted simultaneously. The two looked at each other with a fierce loathing that didn't match up with the fact that they had just agreed on something.

"I'll do it. I want to help. It's the only way to make sure I don't lead them somewhere where they could hurt anyone else," Bella begged. She pictured herself standing alone in the middle of the clearing with a circle of vampires closing in. The newborns were shocked to find wolves and allies springing out from trees at the last minute. It would work, but she would still be left defenseless in the middle of a gruesome battle. That was one detail she wasn't about to draw attention to.

"You'll be killed!" Jacob shouted.

"Be reasonable, Bella!" pleaded Edward.

Jacob almost laughed. Bella Swan was many things, but reasonable had never been one of them. The fact that she was in this predicament at all was proof of that. The bloodsucker didn't know her at all.

"What if we can mask her scent somehow?" Esme offered. "She could create a fake trail, then be taken somewhere safe where they couldn't track her."

"That's a great idea! How can we do it?" Seth sounded excited.

"That will never work," Rosalie retorted. "Her scent is even stronger and more appealing than other human scents. There's no way to hide it."

"Can you smell me now?" Bella asked. She was standing at least 50 feet away from Rosalie.

"Not very well, there's too much DOG stench." She made a show of plugging her nose.

Everyone stopped and looked at her.

"What? It was a joke," she said defensively.

"Rose, you're a genius!" Alice squealed. "We can hide her with the wolf scent! It's perfect! If we make sure she smells really strongly of them and has no trace of vampire on her—like they'll be expecting—it just might work.

"I can take care of that," Jacob smirked as he gave Bella's waist a gentle squeeze.

"I'll sit the fight out. I can take Bella somewhere out in the woods where it won't put anyone else in danger. We'll stay there until someone comes to tell us that it's over." Jacob sounded pleased. They just might make it out alive after all.

"I don't like leaving you out of the fight—you're one of the best, Jacob—but I guess it's what we have to work with," said Sam.

"Where should we lead them?" Bella asked.

"It needs to be somewhere on our land," Carlisle stated. "It will be best if we can keep them from coming in close contact with the wolf scent. They're less likely to connect it to Bella if we stay away from it."

"Yeah, about that, frosty. We're going to be there to fight, and we always smell like this," Leah corrected.

"There's no way to completely eliminate it; we'll have to hope that their inexperience will cause them to overlook it. They probably aren't even aware of your existence, but a strong unknown scent will raise suspicion. The land on your side of the treaty line is saturated with your scent; there is no way they will miss it. Even leading them to this clearing where we have been meeting could be a mistake. We need somewhere that will smell strongly of vampire."

"I know the place," Edward spoke up. The idea of using his peaceful meadow for the battle was unappealing to say the least, but it would provide a good, clear view without too many trees, and it already held his and Bella's scents. Just what Victoria would be expecting. Plus, it would mean a trip to the meadow alone with Bella to lay the trail. Jacob couldn't protest when Bella's life was at stake. Was it completely sick and twisted that Edward looked forward to the inevitable journey into the meadow with Bella? Yes. Would he do it anyway and use every moment to show Bella how much he still loved her? Yes.

"There's a clearing on our side of the treaty line. There are enough trees around that we wouldn't be completely out in the open, but our vision also wouldn't be obstructed," he explained.

"We should lay the false trail immediately," Sam spoke.

"It would be better left for tomorrow," Edward disagreed. "It is late as it is, and she still needs to return home to Charlie tonight. The scent will also be stronger if we wait until tomorrow." Edward turned to Alice. "Are you sure they're coming Thursday?"

"Yes. That is their plan," she said.  
"Then if everyone is agreeable, we will lay the false trail tomorrow, then wait in the clearing for the army to arrive."

"Is anyone opposed to this course of action?" Carlisle asked.

No one spoke.

"We will meet back here tomorrow night, then head to the new location," Sam summarized.

Carlisle nodded in agreement.

People began talking amongst themselves and preparing to leave at the finality of the nod.

"Bella, I will come pick you up in the morning to lay the trail," Edward said as he walked over to Bella and Jacob.

"Now wait just a minute," Jacob interrupted. He hadn't counted on Edward being the one to take Bella. If he had to give her up to a vampire, it certainly wasn't going to be this one.

Bella didn't want to go with Edward. Something in her gut was telling her that it was the wrong decision. Part of her knew that things would change as soon as she told him the truth about her imprint with Jacob. She hadn't had time to process the fact that Edward still loved her yet, but things would get messy if the truth came out, and this wasn't the time for messy. She hated the thought of keeping something from Jacob, but she absolutely couldn't tell him about Edward's feelings yet either. She needed to stall on both parts until after Thursday. If they survived, she would worry about coming clean and cleaning up the resulting mess then.

Bella looked pleadingly at Alice.

She got the hint. "Maybe Jacob would feel better if I take her," she suggested.

"Alice can take me. I think Charlie is more likely to let me go with her anyway," Bella told Edward.

Edward scowled, but he saw no way out. This was not the way he hoped this would go. Bella must have been mad about his earlier confession. He didn't blame her, really. He hadn't expected her to forgive him so easily, but he wanted to be wrong.

"Okay, so I'll take you home, and I'll come back in the morning," Alice told Bella.

"_I'll_ take her home," Jacob looked at Alice like she had done enough already.

"Sorry, Jacob, but she'll need to start the wolf detox immediately. She needs to smell as humanly appetizing as possible for tomorrow."

Jacob frowned. "I guess I can go scout out a place for us to wait safely," he said with a clear tone of defeat. He was only able to force himself to walk away when he pictured rubbing himself all over her body to cover her in his scent when it was finally his turn to take over.

Edward ground his teeth together so hard that several heads searched the area fruitlessly for a saw cutting into a nearby tree.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Bella took a bath before going to bed and another shower when she woke the next morning. It was hard to tell how effective she was being at removing Jacob's scent when she couldn't smell it in the first place. She hadn't had any physical contact with him since the meeting in the woods, and Alice had even discreetly asked her to change her sheets. Hopefully it would all be enough.

Charlie had already left for work by the time Alice came over.

"How did I do?" Bella asked as Alice sauntered through the door.

Alice walked closer and sniffed all around Bella.

"Mmm, you smell delightful. Mission accomplished." She smiled. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, let me just grab my bag." She had packed an old t-shirt hoping she could leave pieces of it around to better spread her scent.

After a second terrifying ride in Emmett's Jeep and a brief rundown of the types of things Bella could do to spread her scent, they stopped at the edge of the forest next to the familiar path, or lack thereof. Now that she was here, she was even more glad that she had refused Edward's offer. This place held too many memories for them.

She was sure to touch everything within reach as they walked on. She brushed her fingers over leaves, ran her hands down tree trunks, and shuffled her feet around piles of leaves on the ground. Inspired by clumsily catching her hair in the Jeep door, she even sacrificed a few strands and left them hanging on eye-level branches. After she got the hang of it, she stopped concentrating so hard and gave in to conversation.

"Thanks for covering for me, Alice. I just didn't feel right going with Edward."

"So I take it the conversation didn't go well yesterday?" Alice prompted.

"He didn't tell you?" Bella felt sure there were no secrets in the Cullen household.

Alice smiled. "Just because _he_gets to know everything that happens doesn't mean he likes to share the wealth. We didn't talk about it."

"He told me he still loves me," Bella blurted out as she pulled a few leaves from neighboring trees in passing.

"Now do you understand why you needed to tell him about the imprint?" Alice asked.

"Yeah, but I didn't. You came in just as I was about to tell him." She cut a square of fabric from the spare t-shirt with a pair of scissors, then let it drop to the ground and covered it with leaves. She knew the newborns were inexperienced, but she doubted they were stupid enough to follow an obvious trail.  
"He still doesn't know?" Alice's eyes were wide.

"No. I didn't even have time to respond to what he said. We just sort of dropped it and left." Inwardly, she debated whether or not to tell Alice what she had been thinking. She decided to go for it.

"I don't think I should tell him just yet. Not with everything that's happening."

"I wondered why he took it so easily. I thought he just didn't want to talk about it. I agree that you shouldn't tell him just yet, though," Alice conceded. "I hate to hide things from him, and it's no easy task to get away with, but I think it's best for now. If I thought he would just leave again, I would say tell him. But it's imperative that he not ruin the alliance we have with the wolves."

Bella hadn't even thought of that. She wanted him to stay because his mental powers and his speed made him a valuable fighter. It was horrible that she was thinking of deceiving him to get him to stay and fight, but she would do anything for Jacob, and she was desperate. Alice was right, though. Telling him could lead to worse consequences than just losing his support in the fight. If he got into a fight with Jacob, it could break the alliance between the two groups and mean certain death for everyone involved.

"What do we do?" Bella asked.

"First, you ask Jacob to keep the imprint quiet. If you haven't already told him what Edward told you, then you'll have to explain that as well."

Well _that_ was going to be an awkward conversation. She would get through it, though. Jacob deserved to know, but there was no use hoping he wouldn't overreact. He would be livid.

"You need to have a talk with Edward after all of this is over, though. For real, this time," said Alice.

"It's weird; I never imagined having to let Edward down easily. I really thought he was it for me. It's strange how things turn out, isn't it?" Bella commented. "I hope you aren't upset with me. I know you love Edward and want him to be happy. I want that for him too, I'm just not the answer for him."

"I'm not mad, Bella. I'm a little disappointed; I loved the idea of having you as a sister, but I'll just have to make do with a human sister instead." Alice smiled an encouraging smile.

"What will the others think?" She didn't want them to feel betrayed. Even if they chose to leave Forks after the fight, she wanted them to leave on good terms.

"I think they will be disappointed too. We all love you like family, Bella. It was hard for us when we left, too. They'll just have to get used to keeping you on as an honorary human family member."

As for how Edward would react, she would have to deal with that when the time came.

"We're here," Alice announced as though Bella didn't know. It finally struck her that Edward had not enlightened the rest of his family about the significance of this place.

As Bella snipped another piece from the t-shirt, her fingers slipped and caught the blade of the scissors. A bead of blood welled up on her index finger.

Alice froze. "Put pressure on it." Bella knew she didn't say more because she was holding her breath.

"Wait." Bella had an idea. She walked to the nearest tree and smeared the droplet across the bark.

"There, that should do it." Bella smiled at her own genius, then quickly covered the cut with a Band-Aid from her bag.

"I think we're done here," said Alice. "What do you say we take the quick way back?"

It was beyond strange to think of riding on Alice's back. She was just so tiny and fragile looking, even though Bella knew better.

"Yeah, okay."

Bella walked closer to Alice, not entirely sure of how to climb onto her back. She was a few inches taller than Alice, so instead of climbing on, it was going to be more like crouching down. As she was contemplating the best way, she felt her legs fall out from under her as Alice swept her up into her arms.

"Huh, Edward always carried me on his back," she remarked.

"I'm surprised. This way I don't have to worry about you getting distracted and letting go. I thought for sure Edward would have done the same. I guess he doesn't think of everything after all," Alice chuckled.

As they rocketed through the forest, Bella felt a strange sense of safety she hadn't felt on Edward's back. This position really did feel more secure. Maybe she had been secretly afraid of letting go and falling off before; this time, she knew there was no way Alice would let go of her. Instead of panicking, she relaxed and pictured the roller coasters she had ridden with Jacob.

Mmm, Jacob. She missed him like crazy even though she had seen him the night before. Things were so tense lately that they couldn't really enjoy their time together.

Alice deposited Bella in the passenger seat back at the Jeep and expertly fastened the safety harness before doing the same for herself.

"Destination: Swan residence, I suppose?" Alice asked.

"Actually, could you take me to Jacob's?"

"I would, but the treaty is technically still in effect. I don't know what would happen if I drove you to his house, even under our tentative agreement." Alice was frustrated by the wolves' behavior. She didn't want to be best friends with them, but did they really have to be so cautious and territorial?

"Maybe he could meet us at the treaty line," Bella suggested.

She pulled out her cell phone and dialed the familiar number.

"Hey, Jake! Are you ready to meet yet?" Bella asked. "Uh huh, yeah. Alice is driving me right now. We could meet you at the treaty line if you want…Okay, we'll be there. See you then!" She hung up.

"This is going to take some getting used to," Alice admitted.

"Does that mean you're staying in Forks?" Bella asked with a grin. "Say yes!"

"I don't know. It depends on how everything goes with the wolves. But Bella, I want you to understand something. Even if we stay, it will only be for a few years at the most. People will notice that we aren't aging."

"But you'll still visit, right?" Bella asked.

Alice wished she could see how that would turn out. She wanted to say yes; she wanted Bella to be a long-term fixture in her life, someone she knew more than the few years in high school she normally got to know any person. And Bella was the only human she had ever truly _known _during her time as a vampire. It was incredibly hard making friends when you knew you couldn't share a huge part of your life with them, and you could only stay in touch for a few years at the maximum.

"I'd like that," Alice finally decided. She would like it even more if she could be friends with Bella forever. "BFF" didn't have quite the same ring when forever was so temporary for one of the parties involved. Being cursed to having new acquaintances every few years had its hardships, but it also meant never having to say a hard goodbye, never having to watch someone grow old while you stayed the same. It was hard to imagine visiting a wrinkly old Bella fifty years down the road, or attending Bella's funeral some time after that.

"Alice, what can you see of Edward's future?" She wanted to hear good things. Her anger had all but disappeared when she realized how selfless he had been to leave her behind. He didn't deserve what he was about to be put through on her account.

"I can't really say, Bella. It's all based on decisions, and right now, he is set on getting you back," she said with a sad smile. "I can see that he won't, but I would know that with or without my powers."

"I don't want him to hate me."

"He couldn't."

"I don't want him to love me, either."

They sat in silence after that, both knowing there was nothing to be said in the way of comfort.

…..

When Alice pulled off on the side of the road, Jacob's Rabbit was already idling in front of them. Alice remained in the car as Bella got out, then drove off a moment later.

Bella ran full speed at Jacob as he stepped out of the car and crashed into his stomach full force.

"Whoah, easy, Bells," Jacob chuckled into her hair as they embraced. Then the scent hit him, and he involuntarily pulled back.

"What?" Bella asked.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you reek! You'll have to take a shower as soon as we get back."

"I've been getting a lot of that lately," she joked before Jacob shut her door, then rolled over the hood to get to the driver's side. Yep, still a teenage boy.

"So how did it go?" she asked. "Did you find a place for us?"

"Yeah, I found a secluded place about twenty miles away from where we're luring the bloodsuckers. It should be far enough away that they won't catch your scent, but close enough that someone can get to us quickly if they need to," Jacob explained.

Bella was silent in thought. It just hit her that she would not be returning to her house before the fight. She might have already seen her house, even Charlie, for the last time.

"We're going to make it, Bells. We will," Jacob promised as he stroked her arm gently. He didn't need to see tears or hear sobs to know how she was feeling or what she was thinking. He felt it too.

"Whatever happens, we'll be together." Bella smiled a very small smile.

Jacob's answering smile didn't quite reach his eyes. If he ever did anything right in his life, this would be it. He would save Bella Swan somehow.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

The rest of the ride was silent. Bella wondered exactly how to break it to Jacob that Edward still loved her. It was imperative that she fill him in, but it seemed wrong to waste what could be their last moments talking about Edward.

"Jacob?" She began. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Yeah, Bells? What is it?"

"It's Edward. When we went to the Cullens' house and we were talking…" she let the sentence trail off, not quite sure how to finish. Best to just do it, like ripping off a bandaid. "Edward told me he loves me."

She let the words hang dangerously in the air between them, waiting for a response.

Jacob's entire body tensed. It was a good thing he had just turned the engine off in the driveway. He had to get out. He had to get out now. His body was shaking and his head was pounding and if he didn't get out now, he might phase and hurt Bella. He shoved the door open with enough force that it now hung at an angle as one of the hinges snapped.

Bella watched in horror as he ran out of the garage and into the open yard and began stripping his clothes off.

"Jacob, wait!" She shouted as he tossed his shirt aside and stood there in his shorts. She could see the muscles in his chest and arms convulsing.

"I'll kill him!" he shouted. He had everything he had ever wanted this summer. His life was literally perfect. Edward Cullen would NOT steal his happily ever after. But Bella…wouldn't it hurt Bella if he killed the one she loved? He cringed thinking about it. Killing Edward would make him feel better, but it would be like killing a little piece of Bella, too. Could he do that?

"Jake, relax! Calm down! Everything is fine!" Bella tried. She knew he would be upset, but this was a major overreaction. What was the deal?

"Everything is NOT fine. I can't lose you!" He cried desperately. He wasn't shouting at her; he was pleading to her.

"Lose me? To Edward?" Bella suddenly realized the problem with the situation. She was shocked for about half a second, and then she was mad. Furious, even.

"Jacob Black, are you telling me that you think I'm in love with Edward?" Bella walked towards him and jabbed his rock-hard chest with her index finger. She was mad enough that she barely noticed the pain that followed. After all they had been through, how could he think that she could just abandon him for someone else?

"I, you mean—" Jacob looked bewildered, but Bella cut him off.

"—because if you think that I could just drop everything we have and run off with someone else—ANYONE else, then I'm in love with the biggest idiot on the planet. I love you more than I ever loved Edward—more than I could ever love anyone, and that's never going to change. Got it?" She involuntarily jabbed him again and immediately regretted it. That was definitely going to leave a bruise.

Jacob responded by almost crushing her ribs in a hug.

"I….Ja…" Bella gurgled under his strength and he immediately loosened his hold.

"So the bloodsucker loves you, but you don't love him."

"Yes. And there is a reason I'm telling you this." Jacob pulled her by the hand and sat her on the hood of the car before joining her.

Bella pulled his hand into her lap and began tracing the lines in his palm. "Alice interrupted our conversation. I never got to tell him about the imprint or about us at all." She almost paused for his reaction, but thought it best to plow on and get through it. "Alice and I were talking, and we think that if we tell him the truth, he might do something irrational that could jeopardize our alliance with the Cullens."

"So you want to keep us a secret," Jacob scowled.

"No, I don't '_want'_ to keep us a secret, but I think it's best that we save that bit of information until after the fight. I feel horrible keeping it from him; we're betraying and using him, but all of our lives depend on this alliance," she finished.

"I guess you're right about that." The whole situation was a little more tolerable now that he knew they had the upper hand at Cullen's expense.

"And hopefully this will all be over soon and we can get it out in the open and go on with our lives," Bella added. _Or we'll all die and we'll never have to break it to him at all_, her subconscious countered.

"I hate this," Jacob sighed. "All of it. Edward, vampires, werewolves—everything. I love being part of the pack—most of the time—but sometimes I wonder what life would be like if none of it existed. If we were all just normal people." He had never wondered it before, probably never would have wondered it if it weren't for Bella, but right now all he wanted was to be a normal teenager with a hot girlfriend and no stupid vampires to stalk her.

"If we were normal, we wouldn't have our imprint," Bella pointed out. "We would be your average teenage couple."

"You could never be an average anything, Bella." He rose from the car and scooped her up into his arms, then bent to gently kiss her. He had almost grown used to the overly sweet aroma that had followed Bella into the car, but it hit him hard as a tendril of her hair slid across his face. He involuntarily pulled away. The look on her face told him she noticed.

"Um, Bells? No offense, but how about that shower?" he offered as an explanation.

"You're right; back to the mission. You better put me down before I spread any vampire germs to you. Might be contagious," she teased.

He put her down gently, then opened the door that led into the laundry room at the side of the house and let her enter ahead of him.

There was an awkward tension in the air. Bella wanted to invite him into the shower with her, but she knew what would happen if she did. She knew she was ready, knew Jacob was the right one, but the timing didn't seem right. Her mind kept wandering to the impending fight and the alliance with the Cullen's. The alliance with the Cullen's—she noticed that she didn't align herself with them anymore. For Bella, in the separation of "us" and "them," "us" was wolves, and "them" was vampires. She was getting used to it, but taking sides at all felt unnatural.

"Here you go," Jacob said, handing Bella a faded blue towel before she stepped into the bathroom. "Shampoo and soap are in the shower. You need anything else?" He asked. _Like a helping hand?_ He didn't let himself say those words, though. There were more important things going on than his raging hormones.

"I just realized I didn't bring a change of clothes. These probably smell like Alice," Bella said with a frown as she looked down at her shirt. It looked clean to her, but her sense didn't count for much in a crowd of vampires and werewolves. It was like being the slow kid in class.

"Go ahead and shower; we can wash them after you get out. Can't run the washing machine at the same time, it screws with the water." He had found that out the hard way. He could still remember the icy chill that penetrated his body when Billy started a load of laundry without realizing Jacob was in the shower once. The cold had felt like needles and had scared him so badly that he jumped, slipped and took down the entire shower curtain and rod trying to steady himself. They had had to take baths for a week while they waited for the curtain rod to be shipped to the local hardware store, and Quil had laughed until he cried when he asked about one of the many resulting bruises. Jacob smiled at the memory. It couldn't have been more than a year ago, but it felt like forever. He wondered if he would ever feel cold like that again.

If Bella's clothes needed to be washed, he would have to find her something to wear in the meantime. Jacob smiled to himself as he considered the possibilities. Bella was more than just a hot body to him. It had never been about trying to get into her pants at all, but it sure was hard to forget that aspect of their relationship in situations like this. He let his smirk fade away as he opened his dresser drawer and realized one of his old t-shirts would have to do. It's not like he had any pants that would stay on her tiny frame, and his sisters had only left behind a very small, very hideous reject pile of clothing when they moved out.

He heard the water shut off and the familiar scraping of the curtain against the rod as Bella stepped out. Moments later, she opened the bathroom door and trapped steam billowed out from behind her.

"Jake?" she said. She was wrapped in a towel, her dark hair slicked back and dripping onto those perfect pale shoulders.

"Do you have something I can put on?" she asked. He wordlessly handed her the t-shirt. Why was he looking at her like that? She couldn't read the thoughts behind the expression that he wore.

God, she was perfect. And she still didn't know it.

"What?" she asked.

"I love you," he said seriously. It was all worth it, the fur, the voices in his head, even the treaty with the bloodsuckers. He wished things were easier and that they could be normal teenagers, but he would take whatever unpleasant variables were necessary as long as they added up to him getting to be with Isabella Swan, this goddess dripping water all over the floor and looking confused.

"I love you too, Jake." Bella smiled as she took the shirt. They'd said it a hundred times by now, but somehow the words held a calming effect, and for a moment, she was just a teenage girl in love.

After Bella dressed herself in the oversized t-shirt and started the load of laundry, Jacob whisked her off of her feet and set her on the couch in the small living room.

"What are you doing, Jake?" Bella asked as he bent down to rummage in the cabinet beneath the TV.

"Treating you to a date. The normal kind, complete with an awful chick flick, a bowl of popcorn, and whatever else you want. Until your clothes are dry, we could be anybody with normal lives. Deal?"

"That sounds amazing, actually." It really did. In just a few hours, all hell would break loose. Risks would be taken; lives were at stake. It was all she had thought about for days. A few hours of goofing off with her boyfriend sounded like the perfect solution.

"I'll be Carly, the shy new girl intimidated by the gorgeous guy who just asked her out," Bella giggled.

"What?" Jacob was lost.

"Hey, you said we get to be anybody, right?"

"Okay…then I'm Nathan, the school stud that immediately had to make a move on the gorgeous new girl," Jacob grinned one of those smug grins. Of course he'd cast himself as the stud. And of course Bella would cast herself as the shy new girl.

Jacob pressed play on the ancient VHS player and went into the kitchen to make popcorn during the previews. When he returned, Bella had moved from her position sprawled out across the couch and was sitting up straight with her hands in her lap.

"Popcorn is served," he said, offering the bowl between them with his left hand as he slyly slid his right arm around her shoulders. It seemed like a move the school stud would make.

Bella smiled innocently, then looked back to the TV as the movie finally revealed itself as _She's All That_.

"I wouldn't have taken you for a _She's All That _fan, Nathan."

"Well Carly, I'm just full of surprises." He grinned that 100 watt smile and winked as he said it.

They spent a good portion of the movie just like that, giggling over the sillier parts and throwing popcorn at each other while Jacob pulled out his cheesiest lines and Bella blushed and smiled in return. Halfway through, Jacob cooked a frozen pizza in the oven and did his best to save some for Bella. She ate two slices to his six.

"Oops," Jacob said once as he dropped a piece of popcorn down Bella's shirt. "Here, let me get that for you."

He faked reaching for her shirt as Bella giggled, "Nathan, stop!" and gently pushed his hand away. As she did, he laced his fingers through her own. It was flirtation in its most sugary, unrefined form.

"You know, I really like you," Bella said to Jacob at the end of the all but forgotten movie, just as it would be in any first date.

"And I really like you," Jacob said, and he began to slowly lean in. Bella closed her eyes and met his lips with her own, the perfect first kiss for the fictitious couple.

Jacob pulled away, but kept his hand on her knee. "You know, Carly, I know I'm good, but it usually takes me more than the first date to get a girl out of her pants," he slid his hand up an inch and squeezed her thigh playfully.

"I wish I could say the same for myself," Bella retorted in an intentionally sexy voice Jacob had never heard before.

"Damn, I knew there was something mysterious about the hot new girl!"

Bella grinned and threw her arms around Jacob's waist.

"Thanks, Jake. This was perfect," she told him.

"It was, wasn't it?" He agreed, kissing the top of her head. "We better finish getting ready."

It had been perfect, but it wasn't reality. He hoped they could come back to this scene after whatever was about to happen, or even that there was a scene to come back to at all.

"It's almost time to go," he said, gently tugging Bella's hand as he rose from the couch that looked like doll house furniture beneath his massive frame.

He led her into the guest bedroom that had once belonged to his sisters and flipped on the light. There were two twin beds against the walls and an oversized dresser, too big for the room.

"Here, you'll need this," Jacob said, handing Bella a baby blue parka that had been sitting on the closest bed. Rebecca had left it behind when she moved to Hawaii.

"For?"

"It's going to get cold where we're going," Jacob said.

"I better put on some pants, then," she joked, but neither of them laughed or smiled.

Bella dressed, and Jacob disappeared into the garage. When he came back, he was carrying a large backpack, the kind Bella was used to selling at Newton's for hiking. It had a green sleeping bag strapped to the bottom and looked full.

"It's time," Jacob said. He set down the backpack and reached down to help Bella zip the front of the jacket.

"Do you think you'll be able to wear this?" he asked, pointing down at the backpack.

"Um, sure. What will you be wearing?" Bella didn't mind pulling her own weight, but she knew Jacob wouldn't ask her to carry something so heavy unless something was stopping him from doing it himself.

"Fur," he said.

…

As she clung to his fur, laying low against his back as they traveled further up the mountain, Bella couldn't help but picture the scene from _The_ _Golden Compass_ where Lyra rode the polar bear through the arctic. With the wind whipping against her face as they raced through the forest, the ride had been chilly from the beginning. Now there was snow melting against her eyelashes, and she was grateful for the heat of the wolf beneath her body. This would have been unbearable with anyone else.

Jacob stopped before the top of the mountain at a small space where a gap in the trees was just large enough to accommodate the small tent. Bella climbed from his back, and he phased immediately. He pulled the backpack from Bella's hunched shoulders and pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt that he had packed inside.

"You're not going to be cold?" Bella asked, still shivering. Jacob was standing barefoot in two inches of snow. Any normal person would be well on the way to frostbite; instead, she noticed that the snow around his feet began to melt from contact with the heat.

"Nah, I'm fine," he said as he pulled a packaged tent from the backpack. "I'll have this tent up in just a minute and we can go inside and stay warm." It would take three minutes and forty-two seconds. He had timed it when he scouted out a location to make sure that Bella wouldn't get too cold waiting.

Bella thought about offering to help, but she knew she would only get in the way, and she couldn't feel her fingers anyway.

"There," he said, ushering Bella inside the cramped tent. The tent was seven feet by seven feet, just big enough for the two to lie down inside the sleeping bag that Jacob was rolling out. Bella was sitting in the corner, teeth chattering and hands buried deep in her pockets.

"Here sweetheart, let's get you out of that coat and into the sleeping bag so I can warm you up." He carefully unzipped the jacket and pulled the hood from Bella's head.

As soon as he climbed into the sleeping bag with her, Bella started to feel better. The numbness of the cold was slowly starting to melt away against his warm skin, like something cold-blooded coming out of hibernation. She was too cold to speak, so she took his hand that was draped around her waist and intertwined her freezing fingers with his fiery ones.

Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled. 


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

The fight had gone relatively well, all things considered. Rose had come close to losing an arm, which only made Emmett grin twice as big when he ripped the head off of the offending party. One of the wolves was injured, but Carlisle had said that she would live. Edward himself had had no significant trouble taking down the newborns that approached him as he reached into their minds, each time intercepting their moves seconds before they played out.

But Victoria had never showed, the coward. Had she assumed that the newborns could do her dirty work for her, or was she still out there somewhere, waiting? Maybe she was afraid of meeting the same end as her adoring James, and at the same hand. Edward wouldn't write her off so easily, but there were more pressing matters at hand.

For now, the real trouble was what to do with _her_, the one that had surrendered. He could read her mind; he knew that Bree was telling the truth and that she meant no harm. But meaning and doing were two very different things, and the good intentions of a newborn vampire were about as fool-proof as the good intentions of a recovering alcoholic in a bar. She might not want to hurt anyone, but that didn't mean she would be able to resist if she came face to face with Bella, which is why Edward was on his way to tell her and the watchdog what had happened. Alice had offered to go in his stead, but he had pushed her aside, intent on seeing Bella for himself.

Now that this was over, they could finally be together without any distractions. He now understood that she was safer with him than without him, that to leave her for her own safety had been foolish.

When he reached the mountain, he knew something was off. He was picking up…something…from Jacob's mind, but it was incoherent. Flashes of images and feelings whirled by, but they were so choppy and disoriented that it took him a second to pick up on any complete thought. Then a piece jumped out at him: the thought of how good, no—PERFECT—it felt to finally be inside of her. The yield of her flesh beneath his fingers. The smoothness of the small white breasts in his hands, and the taste of the skin on her neck.

Edward ran faster than he had ever run in his life or in his death to save Bella Swan from this beast. His worst fears were coming true. He knew Jacob Black could not be trusted with Bella, but he never imagined that he was capable of _this_. Edward would rip _every_appendage from the mongrel's body and take pleasure in doing so.

When he was within yards of the tent, Edward caught another clear image in his mind: the gentle touch of cool hands on a chiseled abdomen, the sensation of nails digging into skin as the small hands reached around to his shoulders. The whispered words "I love you," not from Jacob, but from _Bella_.

For the first time since he lived, Edward Cullen was truly stunned. He monitored the situation a few seconds longer just to be sure, and each sigh and groan cut deeper into his lifeless heart. He felt a string of piercing emotions the strength and speed of which only a vampire could withstand. First, devastation. The selfish part that loved Bella more than anything in the world was crushed, mutilated, lost. Then fury, that of all people, Bella had given herself to this mongrel. This beast. Then the smallest, faintest bit of relief as Edward realized that his wish for Bella to move on her own safety had finally been granted. But this wasn't what he had meant. Edward could force himself to give up Bella if it meant she could live away from his supernatural world, a safe life with a human. He had never intended to give her up to someone just as dangerous as himself, and he wouldn't now if he had any say in it.

He hated himself for loving this fragile human he couldn't possibly be destined to be with, but he couldn't stop.

Then he picked up on another thought, only this time it was from a different brain. "Almost there," it said, and it carried with it the excitement and pleasure of reaching a goal. Edward was stunned for a second time as for a moment, he thought he was reading Bella's thoughts. He focused harder and realized that the source was a few miles away, not yards in front of him making love in a tent.

Victoria.

"Pardon the interruption, but we've got about a minute and thirty seconds before an even more unwanted party than myself joins the spectators' gallery." The words themselves sounded cordial, but his tone dripped with sarcasm and anger.

Bella and Jacob froze at the unexpected intrusion. The sudden presence of the icy voice had broken the spell that had provided them this moment away from reality. Jacob cursed himself for getting so carried away that he had neglected to monitor their surroundings, and Bella's heart felt a twinge of regret when she realized what Edward had just witnessed. What a way to find out that your ex had moved on.

"Edward?" he heard a high pitched voice call through the tent. He would have given anything to read that mind, even though he felt certain that its current contents would have seared him to the core.

"I'm so sorry," she called. Through the medium of Jacob's mind, Edward watched as Bella frantically threw her shirt on inside out, noticed the mistake, then promptly got it tangled and stuck around her elbow. In the moment, it was neither funny nor endearing. He forced himself out of Jacob's head to allow Bella some privacy. He had not been meant to see her that way. No, that had been reserved for _him_.

_Sweatpants…sweatpants….no. No need. Might need to phase and kill the bloodsucker._

The thought hadn't made a distinction, but Edward suspected that Jacob wasn't thinking about Victoria.

"Victoria is coming," Edward said to expedite the process.

"Shit!" Jacob swore. He had let his guard down, and they were all about to pay for it. Bella would have been safer with just about anybody else protecting her, someone who would have focused on all of the little things that had been a blur ever since he climbed into the sleeping bag with Bella.

Jacob ripped open the front of the tent to join…what, his ally? His enemy? Was Edward still on their side, or was he about to face two vampires alone?

"We'll discuss it later," Edward growled. "For now, we both want Victoria dead."

Jacob gave a single nod. "Right." Save Bella. Kill Victoria. Worry about Cullen later.

"Bella, stay in the tent and don't come out!" Edward shouted.

Inside the tent, Bella hugged her knees closer to her chest, not quite sure if her violent shaking was due to cold or fear.

There was the sound of quick movements, and then a low, steady growl. Jacob must have phased. The growl got louder, and then a different kind of snarl than she had ever heard before. Victoria?

"You think you can hide that pet of yours in a cage?" a high-pitched female voice asked. It was surprisingly whiny, like a child, and not at all what Bella would have imagined for someone trying to kill her.

"Stay away from her!" Edward shouted at Victoria.

"Oh, but I want to play, just like you played with my mate." Her nasal voice grew more serious and angry. "I'll snap her neck and we still won't be even. As if this pitiful excuse for a human being could ever be equal to my James."

There was a snarl and a gasp, then a sound like rocks hitting together. By the sound of it, one or maybe both of them had lunged at Victoria in response. There was more growling and some swishing and scraping sounds that Bella couldn't identify, then a sound that reminded her of the sound she had once witnessed at the scene of a horrible car accident as metal twisted around metal mixed with yelps that she knew must be Jacob. She didn't know she was crying until the tears were frozen to her cheeks.

"Help me understand, because I really don't get it." Victoria spoke again. Bella pictured them all circling around each other, trying to get a jump on the opponent's next move.

" What is it about this girl that has an entire clan of vampires and this poor excuse for a dog here fighting to save her? Why not just drain her and have your fill? She smells delicious. Don't you want a taste?"

"The dog's itching to call you a bitch," Edward said, "but I disagree. That would put you on his level, and you're not even worth that much."

Bella smiled at the unexpected joke, despite the context. Or maybe she didn't. Was her mouth moving? She tried to wiggle her fingers, only to realize that she was laying on them. When had she lain down? She couldn't remember. Everything felt a little fuzzy around the edges, like when she had laughing gas at the dentist's office. The more she thought about it, the harder it was to focus. While she wondered all of this, the talking had stopped. Or could she just not hear it anymore? Everything sounded muffled.

More scraping, and loud metallic tapping sounds. A split-second scream, interrupted by something tearing. Howling. The smell of smoke. In the distance, a zipper.

"Bella?"

...

The first thing Bella became aware of was the sensation of heat covering her body like an electric blanket, and the lingering feeling of icy cold in her hands and feet. She had to stop waking up in hospital beds like this or Charlie was going to put her under house arrest forever.

The second thing she became aware of was the movement. Was she being wheeled somewhere?

"I swear to God I'll cut off your balls." She recognized the threatening voice as Jacob's, just near her ear. It seemed like a strange thing to say so loudly in a hospital.

A second voice startled her by responding from somewhere very nearby.

"Relax, man! I'm doing this for you!" Was that Embry?

"Calm down, Jake," Sam's voice said.

The third thing she became aware of was that she was naked.

"Jake?" She croaked. Her voice was hoarse and weak.

"Bella!" he shouted, hugging her even more tightly than she suddenly realized he was already doing, and peppering her cheeks with kisses. Each one felt like fire melting ice.

"What happened?" She whispered. "Where are we going?" She took in her surroundings for the first time. She was lying horizontally, pressed against Jacob on the back seat of a Jeep. They were taking up every available bit of space in the back. It was a wonder they had fit in the first place.

"You passed out. Carlisle said it looks like hypothermia—"

Bella cut him off. "No, I mean with Victoria."

Jacob squeezed her freezing hand. "She's gone, sweetheart. We burned the pieces. You're safe now."

"What about Edward?" she asked, remembering all of the terrible noises she had heard.

"He's fine. He left with the Cullen's, they had some other…business to take care of. I might not like the guy, but damn, he can put up a fight," Jacob admitted. Was Bella mistaken, or was there a little bit of admiration in that statement?

"How do you feel, Bells? I was so worried! When we opened the tent, you were unconscious and your lips were blue."

"Okay, I think. My hands and feet are still freezing," she told him.

"I can take care of that," Jacob said. He closed one hand over Bella's tiny fingers, and reached for her foot with his other.

"Dude, that's _my_foot," a voice responded from somewhere behind Bella.

Bella let out an involuntary squeal. She had completely forgotten that they weren't alone. Jacob was pressed against her front, and she couldn't see much else.

"Embry?"

"At your service," he said by way of introduction. She realized that the warm sensation behind her wasn't a heated seat, but Embry.

Bella felt her cheeks flush when she realized her nakedness sandwiched between the two.

"Don't worry, Bells. I made him close his eyes," Jacob told her, knowing instinctively why she had suddenly gone red.

"Carlisle said it was the quickest way to get your body temperature back up," Embry added. "They do it all the time on those medical shows…strip down and start sharing the body heat."

He said it so casually, like they were having a normal conversation on a sofa in someone's living room, not sandwiched together without any clothes.

"We're here," Sam said from the driver's seat. He turned off what Bella finally recognized to be Emmett's Jeep, then opened the back door for the trio to climb out.

The progression was more than a little awkward. The three were so tightly packed together that Sam ended up having to pull the front seats forward to free enough space for Jacob to climb out. Just as Jacob started to leave, Bella realized that her body was about to be exposed to all three of them.

"Wait!" she called as Jacob started to squirm out of his position. "Could someone, uh, get a towel or blanket or something?" She knew her cheeks were on fire again.

"Be right back," Sam mumbled, then jogged away.

"Where are we?" Bella asked.

"My house," said Jacob. "Carlisle said it would be better than going to a hospital because our body heat is stronger than any electric blanket they could give you," he added.

Bella thought Embry was strangely silent, but then she remembered the threat she hadn't quite understood when she first woke up, and it made sense now.

"Here," Sam handed a blanket through the open door, then looked away. Jacob lifted himself just enough to cover Bella's exposed body with the fabric before squeezing himself out of the backseat, and she realized that he was naked too.

As quickly as she could, Bella rolled away from Embry and wrapped the blanket around her backside as well. Jacob reached in and gently pulled her out, cradling her in his arms. She was relieved to catch a brief glimpse of Embry's shorts before Jacob carried her inside.

"Son, if you weren't a wolf, I'd have your hide right now," Billy said as they entered the house. Bella realized how odd it must look for his naked son to be carrying his naked girlfriend in a blanket.

"She had hypothermia, dad. Body heat," he explained. "Besides, better me than Embry. I made him put on my shorts since he lost his.

"Are you kids okay?" Billy asked, looking concerned.

"We will be," Bella said, smiling up at Jacob.

"I'll tell you all about it, Billy," Sam said from the doorway. Jacob nodded in thanks.

He carried her into the bedroom and gently laid her on the bed before pulling on a pair of boxers and finding a t-shirt for her to wear. They both felt relieved in a way that couldn't be put into words. They had their whole lives ahead of them now—together.

"I want this forever, Jake," Bella whispered as he pulled her against his warm body and held her in the tiny bed.

"It's been yours since the first time I saw you," he whispered back. They smiled, then drifted off to sleep in the wake of the calm after the storm.


	28. Epilogue

_**Six Months Later**_

Edward looked out over the thousands of city lights, his feet dangling carelessly over the edge. He had had doubts about the move at first, but Alice had insisted that things would work out, and he was intrigued by her visions however unlikely he found them to be. At present, he was still trying to keep his newfound love of the Washington Space Needle to himself, lest she get that gleeful "I told you so" look that she got any time she knew she was right. Things had not at all turned out the way he had expected, and yet this time, he was glad of Alice's accuracy, _thrilled _that he had been so wrong.

"You're quiet tonight," she said as she linked her arm through his elbow and rested her hand against his forearm, a markedly human move. He had never expected her to be so human, so gentle. He himself had been ravenous and unruly as a newborn; it had taken years to calm himself and begin to feel more like he had before the change, a person with feelings and emotions and desires other than thirst. She was so different, so remarkably compassionate and bright from the beginning.

"I'm just thinking about how lucky I am to have found you, darling. How nothing is as I expected, and things are all the better for it," Edward said.

He had been hesitant to embrace his feelings for her at first, but when he did, he immediately saw everything as it truly was. How he had been blinded by the call of Bella's blood. He never realized just how accurate his metaphor comparing her blood to heroin had been. Just as she had been taken in by his ability to "dazzle" her, he in turn had been intoxicated by the mere presence of her blood. His "La tua cantante," he later learned. He had been so convinced that everything was permanent for him as a vampire that Edward had never entertained the idea of being effected by something more powerful than himself. He still felt a desire for her blood—that would never change—but he was now able to differentiate between love and the bloodlust created by this higher phenomenon. With Bree, it would never be about blood or intoxication, mere fixation and desire. In her, he had found his missing half.

They sat hand in hand, the slender girl with muted burgundy eyes and the boy with wild bronze hair and eyes the color of honey, both with a fierce, unnatural beauty that rivaled and enhanced that of the other. The world lay beneath their dangling feet, and eternity stretched across the night sky.

_**Fifty Years Later**_

A fire blazed bright in contrast against the dark sky of First Beach. Several generations of Quileute families sat chatting on logs, roasting marshmallows and hot dogs on sticks around a large bonfire. There were jokes and laughter, the smallest child poking an unamused teenage boy with her sticky fingers, and a dog wagging its tail and begging for a taste a few feet away.

The wind blew a tendril of gray hair against her cheek, and she pulled the sweater tighter around her small frame as she made her way to the log, careful not to trip on the loose sand. A warm hand on her shoulder stopped her shivering and pulled her closer, and she couldn't stop the smile that broke across her face. After all of this time, he still gave her butterflies. He helped her sit on the log—_their_log—before slowly lowering himself beside her.

"Shhh…it's time!" A brown-haired boy of about nine whispered.

"Time for what?" asked the little girl with the sticky fingers.

"The legends, of course," the teenage boy said.

"Grandpa, what's a ledge end?" the little girl asked.

Jacob smiled down at his tiniest family member, opening his arms and motioning for her to come sit with him.

"A legend, Lily, is a story about our past," he explained as he picked her up and sat her on his knees.

"Like history in school?" she perked up, happy to understand instead of being told she was too young.

"Yes," Jacob laughed. "Like history in school. Only this story is _our_story," he added.

"Many years ago," he began, "when your grandfather's great grandfather was young, we were a people of the land. We treated the land as our brother, working and protecting it with respect and loyalty. They say that when the earth was new, we were one with the forest, and we walked the ground on four legs."

"Four?" Lily interrupted. "You mean we walked on our hands, too?"

"Shh," a young woman with dark hair and pale skin whispered gently.

Jacob smiled and continued.

"According to the legends, we walked the ground on four legs as wolves, before we became men," he explained.

"As time passed and the land evolved, so did we. Many of the dangers of the forest moved on or grew tame. We became more human than animal, and the Quileutes became a civilized people with a fierce respect and loyalty to the lands. We learned to grow crops, build houses, and tell stories.

After years of living peacefully, the Cold Ones appeared. They had pale faces, red eyes, and the strength of a hundred men. They were unnatural, a danger to our land, our children, and everything we had worked for. After the first attack, the dormant instincts of our wolf ancestors took over, and our bodies called on that ancient knowledge to defeat this new enemy. Our bodies recall that ancient power even now when we come into contact with the Cold Ones."

Lily squirmed in his lap, but she kept quiet, enraptured by the tale she only half understood.

"But everything changed a hundred and fifty years ago. Your grandfather's great grandfather came into contact with a new coven. Our tribe began to shift and change again with their presence, but these were unlike any enemies in our legends. Their eyes were a strange gold instead of red, and the leader spoke with humanity, promising that they would not hurt any human. My great grandfather made a treaty with them, a promise that we would keep peace as long as they stayed away from our land and never harmed a human."

"Gold eyes like the pretty woman in the picture at your house?" Lily whispered to her grandmother at the pause in the story. Bella was surprised at how quickly Lily had made the connection to the picture of Alice.

"Yes, just like hers," Bella whispered back. It pained her to know that it would be years before her grandchildren could come to know the Cullens the way she did to avoid the very changes that Jacob was explaining now in the legend. But she knew that one day they, too, would love and be loved by the Cullens. One day, Bella would leave this earth and the Cullens behind, but their bond would grow strong through her children and grandchildren.

"When I was young, not much older than you," Jacob continued, motioning to the teenage boy, "a pale, clumsy girl changed everything we knew," Jacob winked at Bella and squeezed her hand privately.

"She taught us what no one had ever seen before—that not all of the Cold Ones were evil, and that there was humanity in some. When a dangerous clan came in search of the pale-faced girl, our people and the golden-eyed Cold Ones formed an alliance to protect her, the first in history of the legends. Together, they defeated the army of evil ones, and they have remained bound to each other in friendship and respect ever since. Today, the pale-faced girl sits among us," he ended.

Lily looked around. "Where is she, Grandpa? I don't see her." A chorus of laughter broke the spell of silence Jacob Black had cast over his family.

"He means Grandma, silly!" the brown-haired boy told her.

Lily looked at Bella with a puzzled look on her face.

"It will make more sense when you're older, sweetheart," Bella reassured her. "The important part of the story is that they all lived happily ever after. _We_ all lived happily ever after."


End file.
